LIBRARY 

TNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
DAVIS 


/J>^A 

PAPERS 


RELATION  TO  THE  CASE 


SILAS    DEANE. 


Nofo  jfirat  pu&ltjs!)*fo  from  tfjt  ©rtgmal 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PRINTED  FOR  THE  SEVENTY-SIX  SOCIETY. 

T.  K.  AND  P.  G.  COLLINS,  PRINTERS. 
1855. 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
DAVIS 


INTRODUCTION. 


THE  following  pages  are  published  from  the  original  manu 
scripts,  obtained  a  few  years  ago,  in  South  Carolina,  by  the  late 
Edward  D.  Ingraham,  Esq.,  of  this  city,  from  the  family  of 
Henry  Laurens,  President  of  Congress  during  a  part  of  our 
Ee volution  ary  War. 

Shortly  after  the  formation  of  our  Society,  of  which  Mr. 
Ingraham  was  an  early  and  active  member,  he  complied  with 
our  request  that  he  would  edit  them  with  a  view  to  their  publi 
cation  as  our  first  work. 

All  that  is  now  presented  to  the  reader  had  either  been 
printed  or  set  up  in  type  at  the  period  of  his  sudden  and  la 
mented  death,  November  5,  1854.  Other  papers  in  the  collec 
tion,  referred  to  in  foot-notes,  were  to  have  been  added,  together 
with  some  other  documents  collected  by  Mr.  Ingraham  to  com 
plete  the  work ;  but  of  all  of  these  no  trace  has  been  discovered 
since  his  decease.  We  were  therefore  constrained  either  to 
present  it  in  an  imperfect  state,  or  relinquish  its  publication 
altogether.  The  former  alternative  seemed  to  be  the  more 
advisable. 

This  brief  statement  has  seemed  due  alike  to  the  Society  and 
to  the  memory  of  Mr.  Ingraham,  who  was  generally  known  to 
have  the  work  in  charge. 


MR.  DEAIE'S  NARRATIVE. 


SIR  :  I  beg  leave  to  remind  Congress  of  my  having  several 
times  mentioned  to  them,  in  my  letters  desiring  an  audience, 
that  my  detention  was  very  prejudicial  to  my  private  affairs,  as 
well  as  that  it  might  tend  to  embarrass  or  prevent  the  settle 
ment  of  those  of  the  public,  which  my  sudden  departure  from 
France  obliged  me  to  leave  without  being  adjusted  and  closed. 
The  prejudice  resulting  from  this  delay  I  now  hope  will  be 
fully  compensated,  from  the  ample  time  it  has  afforded  for 
making  the  most  minute  and  scrupulous  examination  into  every 
part  of  my  public  conduct,  both  in  Europe  and  America. 

In  August  last,  when  I  had  the  honor  of  being  heard  by 
Congress,  I  expressed  my  desire  of  knowing  if  objections  had 
been  made  to  any  part  of  my  conduct  whilst  in  their  service, 
and  if  any,  what  they  were.  Previous  to  the  entering  on  a 
general  narrative,  I  take  the  liberty  to  mention  in  a  few  words 
the  reasons  which  induced  me  to  make  that  request. 

I  set  out  for  Europe,  intrusted  with  the  political  and  com 
mercial  agency  of  these  States,  and  in  the  month  of  December 
following  received  a  commission  from  Congress  appointing  me 
one  of  their  commissioners  at  the  Court  of  Versailles,  by  which 
my  former  commission  was  superseded,  and  a  person  appointed 
to  the  commercial  agency  in  my  room.  From  the  time  of  my 
leaving  my  native  country  in  March,  1776,  to  the  4th  of  March, 
3 


18  MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE. 

1778,  I  had  reason  to  flatter  myself  that  my  conduct  had  been 
such  as  to  meet  with  the  approbation  of  my  honorable  constitu 
ents  ;  and  though  the  resolution  of  Congress  of  the  8th  Decem 
ber,  1777,  which  I  was  then  for  the  first  time  made  acquainted 
with,  and  the  letter  which  inclosed  it  expressed  nothing  to  the 
contrary,  yet,  sensible  of  the  extremely  difficult  situation  in 
which  I  had  been  placed  previous  as  well  as  subsequent  to  the 
arrival  of  my  colleagues ;  of  the  variety  of  transactions,  politi 
cal  and  commercial,  in  which  on  account  of  these  States  I  had 
been  engaged,  and  knowing  that  I  had  been  so  unfortunate  as 
to  have  enemies  at  Paris  and  at  Nantes  who  frequently  wrote 
to  America,  I  thought  myself  warranted  to  suspect  that  mis 
representations  had  been  made,  either  with  design  to  injure  me, 
or  through  ignorance  and  misapprehension.  My  venerable 
friend  and  colleague,  Dr.  Franklin,  had  the  same  suspicions,  as 
his  letters  before  Congress  show. 

Although  the  dispatches  just  before  sent  out  by  Mr.  Simeon 
Deane  and  Captain  Courter  were  sufficient  to  inform  Congress, 
generally,  of  "the  state  of  affairs  in  Europe,"  yet  my  disposition 
to  pay  the  most  ready  and  implicit  obedience  to  the  orders  of 
Congress  on  every  occasion,  with  a  desire  to  know  in  what 
light  my  conduct  had  been  represented,  prevailed  over  every 
other  consideration,  and  1  left  Paris  the  last  of  March  in  the 
manner,  and  under  the  circumstances  which  I  shall  hereafter 
relate. 

Shortly  after  my  arrival  I  had,  from  many  incidents  needless 
to  repeat,  reasons  to  conclude  that  my  former  suspicious  were 
not  altogether  groundless,  and  therefore  that  the  request  I  made 
was  proper,  and  such  as  my  situation  required.  I  therefore 
made  it,  and  was  happy  to  find  that  no  objections  were  made 
to  my  conduct,  or  exceptions  taken  to  any  part  of  the  narrative 
I  then  had  the  honor  of  delivering  to  Congress. 

As  several  months  have  since  elapsed,  in  which  time  those 
in  Europe  as  well  as  America  (if  there  are  any)  who  have 
really  entertained  unfavorable  suspicions,  have  had  ample  time 


MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE.  19 

to  make  the  strictest  scrutiny  into  every  part  of  my  public 
transactions,  I  confidently  rely  on  the  justice  of  Congress  that 
if  any  charges  or  representations  have  been  made  to  them 
against  my  character  or  conduct  as  the  agent  and  commissioner 
of  these  States,  they  will  order  the  same  to  be  communicated 
to  me,  and  give  me  an  opportunity  of  making  my  answer.  In 
the  mean  time,  in  obedience  to  the  orders  of  Congress,  I  pro 
ceed  to  lay  before  them  a  brief  narrative  of  all  my  transactions 
from  my  leaving  America  in  March,  1776,  to  this  time. 

In  the  month  of  December,  1775,  soon  after  Congress  ap 
pointed  the  honorable  Messrs.  Franklin,  Harrison,  and  others 
their  Committee  for  Secret  Correspondence,  application  was 
made  to  me  by  Dr.  Franklin  and  others  to  receive  a  commission 
and  to  transact  certain  affairs,  political  as  well  as  commercial, 
in  Europe,  but  more  particularly  in  France.  I  accepted  their 
proposals  without  hesitation  and  prepared  for  the  voyage,  and, 
having  wrote  in  general  terms  to  my  brother  and  family  in 
Connecticut,  that  I  had  undertaken  a  long  journey  on  affairs 
too  urgent  to  permit  me  to  pay  them  a  visit  before  my  setting 
out,  and  having  given  general  directions  as  to  my  private  affairs, 
I  received  from  the  Committee,  on  the  2d  day  of  March,  a  com 
mission  and  instructions,  which  I  beg  leave  here  to  read  (No.  1). 

On  the  5th  I  left  Philadelphia  in  a  vessel  bound  to  Bordeaux, 
which  met  with  an  accident  at  sea  and  was  obliged  to  return 
into  port. 

I  embarked  again  on  board  a  sloop  bound  for  Bermuda,  and 
sailed  the  beginning  of  April.  I  arrived  the  24th  of  the  month, 
and  having,  pursuant  to  my  instructions,  chartered  a  sloop  for 
France,  left  that  island  the  4th  of  May,  having  written  to  the 
Secret  Committee  an  account  of  my  proceedings,  and  the  ob 
servations  I  had  made. 

I  arrived  at  Bordeaux  on  the  6th  of  June  following,  in  full 
expectation  of  finding  several  vessels  there  which  the  Committee 
had  encouraged  me  should  be  sent  out  with  cargoes  to  enable 


20  MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE. 

me  to  execute  the  commission  I  was  intrusted  with.     Unfortu 
nately  none  had  arrived. 

As  the  sum  I  carried  out  with  me  was  little  more  than  suffi 
cient  for  my  private  expenses  for  any  considerable  time,  and 
the  intelligence  of  our  misfortunes  in  Canada  arrived  at  the 
same  time  in  France,  with  an  account  of  the  formidable  arma 
ments  gone  and  going  from  England  to  America,  I  found  it 
impossible  to  execute  anything  in  the  mercantile  way,  and 
having  placed  the  bills  I  carried  over  in  the  hands  of  Messrs. 
Delaps,  and  written  to  Dr.  Bancroft  to  meet  me  in  Paris,  and 
to  the  Secret  Committee  an  account  of  my  situation,  and  my 
proceedings  to  that  time,  I  left  Bordeaux  the  latter  part  of  June. 
Whilst  I  remained  in  that  city  I  took  the  character  of  a  mer 
chant  from  Bermuda,  and  applied  myself  to  obtain  an  acquaint 
ance  with  their  commerce,  their  manufactures,  and  at  the  same 
tirne  with  their  sentiments  respecting  America.  I  found  the 
goods  I  wanted  could  not  be  procured  in  that  city,  nor  the 
information  necessary  to  direct  me  how  to  proceed  in  the  other 
part  of  my  commission. 

I  arrived  at  Paris  early  in  the  month  of  July,  a  stranger  to 
the  language  as  well  as  to  the  customs  and  manners  of  the 
nation. 

The  greatest  part  of  the  bills  forwarded  by  Mr.  Delap  to 
London  were  soon  after  returned  protested,  by  which  I  was  in 
a  degree  without  money.  Unknown  and  unconnected  in  Eu 
rope,  I  was  without  personal  credit,  and  the  accounts  of  our 
misfortunes  in  America,  with  the  confident  assurances  of  the 
British  Ministry  by  their  ambassadors  and  partisans  at  Paris, 
that  everything  would  be  finished,  as  they  expressed  them 
selves,  that  campaign,  left  me  as  little  credit  on  the  public 
account  as  my  own. 

I  had  no  friend  at  Court,  and  the  gentlemen  to  whom  I  had 
letters  at  Paris,  though  worthy  and  eminent  in  their  stations, 
had  little  more  interest  there  than  myself.  Monsieur  le  Roy, 
the  worthy  and  learned  Director  of  the  Academy,  was  well 


SIR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE.  21 

known  in  the  literary,  but  unheard  of  in  the  political  world. 
I  shall  ever  be  sensible  of  the  hospitable  and  polite  reception 
he  gave  me,  and  of  the  friendship  he  honored  me  with  during 
my  residence  in  France,  and  which,  I  flatter  myself,  still  mu 
tually  subsists  between  us.  Monsieur  Dubourg  had  been  emi 
nent  as  a  physician,  but  had  never  either  held  any  employment 
at  Court,  or  been  connected  with  administration;  he  was  well 
esteemed  in  Paris ;  and  if  goodness  of  heart  and  the  most  ar 
dent  zeal  for  the  rights  and  happiness  of  mankind  in  general, 
and  of  these  States  in  particular,  merit  esteem,  no  man  in  the 
world  has  a  better  title.  Having  been  recommended  to  these 
gentlemen,  I  think  myself  obliged,  on  that  account,  to  mention 
them  in  my  narrative,  and  gratitude  urges  me  to  say  thus  much 
of  the  many  things  I  might  with  justice  say  of  them.  In  a 
word,  considering  the  magnitude  and  importance  of  the  objects 
I  aimed  at,  I  was  moneyless,  without  credit,  without  friends ; 
nor  will  this  sketch  give  a  just  idea  of  my  situation,  without 
adding  that  -the  wealth  and  influence  of  Great  Britain  were 
employed  against  me. 

Dr.  Bancroft  got  into  town  the  day  before  me.  From  him  I 
learned  that  the  state  of  affairs  in  Great  Britain  was,  in  many 
respects,  very  different  from  what  they  had  been  represented  in 
America,  and  from  what  I  expected.  The  American  war  was  by 
no  means  so  unpopular  as  had  been  supposed.  The  ministers 
were  more  secure  than  ever  of  their  places ;  the  credit  of  the 
nation  was  high ;  three  per  cents  selling  for  about  ninety,  and 
their  other  stocks  in  proportion.  From  the  punctuality  with 
which  they  paid  the  interest  of  the  public  debt,  they  found  no 
difficulty  in  borrowing  any  sums  they  had  occasion  for,  and  the 
commerce  of  the  nation  appeared  in  a  flourishing  state. 

On  the  continent  of  Europe  there  was  a  general  peace,  and 
no  symptoms  of  a  rupture  in  any  part,  except  between  Spain 
and  Portugal  about  their  American  dominions,  which  was  of 
no  importance  in  the  general  scale. 

In  France,  the  state  of  affairs  was  such  that  no  immediate 


22  MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE. 

public  assistance  could  be  expected  for  America;  though  the 
court  and  nation  were  by  no  means  indifferent  spectators  of  the 
contest,  and  though  the  American  cause  was  far  from  being 
unpopular,  yet  many  circumstances  prevented  France  at  that 
time  from  taking  an  open  and  decided  part. 

The  present  reign  was  but  just  begun,  and  as  it  succeeded  a 
very  long  and  expensive  one,  the  ministers  found  many  of  the 
most  important  departments  greatly  deranged,  particularly  those 
of  the  Finances  and  the  Marine,  the  latter  of  which  had,  in  a 
particular  manner,  been  neglected  during  the  latter  part  of  the 
late  reign.  These  circumstances,  together  with  the  disposition 
of  the  king  and  his  ministers  to  preserve  the  peace,  rendered 
it  difficult  to  do  anything  of  consequence,  more  especially  as 
England  on  her  part  had  carefully  avoided  infringing  any  of 
the  articles  of  the  treaty  subsisting  between  the  two  courts, 
and,  jealous  that  supplies  might  by  some  means  or  other  be  got 
out  from  thence,  had  her  emissaries  and  spies  in  all  the  princi 
pal  seaports  of  the  kingdom  as  well  as  at  Paris,  and  was  besides 
armed  as  well  in  Europe  as  America. 

I  think  it  necessary  to  give  this  general  account,  not  only  of 
my  particular  situation,  but  of  the  state  of  public  affairs  in 
Europe  on  my  arrival,  as  it  will  help  to  explain  several  of  the 
subsequent  transactions  and  events. 

Immediately  after  my  arrival,  I  wrote,  agreeable  to  the  in 
structions  I  had  received,  to  Monsieur  Dumas  at  the  Hague, 
and  afterwards  continued  a  correspondence  with  him  until  I 
left  France.  I  wrote  also  to  Monsieur  Gamier,  Charge"  des 
Affaires  for  France,  at  the  Court  of  London,  but  received  no 
answer.  I  wrote  also  to  Mr.  Arthur  Lee,  then  at  London. 

Doctor  Dubourg,  having  written  a  letter  to  his  Excellency 
the  Count  de  Vergennes,  informing  him  of  my  being  at  Paris, 
we  went  to  Versailles,  when  I  showed  him  my  commission  and 
informed  him  generally  of  the  state  of  affairs  in  America;  of 
the  errand  I  came  upon;  the  line  of  conduct  I  had  pursued, 
and  prayed  his  protection,  counsel,  and  assistance.  He  gene- 


MR,  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE.  23 

rously  assured  me  of  his  protection;  advised  me  to  continue 
under  the  character  I  had  assumed,  which,  agreeable  to  my 
instructions,  was  that  of  a  merchant,  and  to  act  with  great  cir 
cumspection,  for  that  I  must  depend  on  being  narrowly  watched 
by  the  British  emissaries;  but  as  to  assistance,  he  assured  me 
the  Court  could  afford  none,  consistent  with  the  treaties  sub 
sisting  with  England,  which  his  Majesty  could  on  no  occasion 
violate;  that  commerce  was  free  to  all  his  Majesty's  subjects, 
from  whom  I  might  obtain  any  articles  I  wanted,  except  such 
as  were  expressly  prohibited  by  his  Majesty;  and  that  he 
would  afford  me  his  countenance  and  protection ;  but  that  he 
could  do  nothing  as  to  the  articles  which  I  was  instructed  to 
solicit  for.  And  respecting  other  subjects,  especially  an  ac 
knowledgment  of  the  independence  of  the  United  States,  he 
observed  it  was  an  event  in  the  womb  of  time,  and  dependent 
on  so  many  others,  that  it  would  be  premature  to  take  it  into 
present  consideration.  Monsieur  Gerard  being  the  first  Secre 
tary  in  his  department  for  Foreign  Affairs,  and  understanding 
English,  I  was  referred  to  him  when  on  any  common  occasion 
I  should  apply,  his  Excellency  assuring  me  that  I  might  rely 
on  what  he  might  at  any  time  tell  me,  as  fully  as  if  I  had  it 
immediately  from  him. 

I  now  set  myself  to  fulfil,  if  possible,  the  mercantile  part  of 
my  commission ;  but,  little  or  no  remittances  arriving,  though 
more  than  six  months  had  passed  since  the  engagement  had 
been  taken  in  America  to  supply  me,  and  hearing  nothing  from 
either  the  Congress  or  the  Secret  Committee,  I  found  it  impos 
sible.  Many  of  the  capital  merchants  supposing  me  to  have 
come  over  with  large  funds,  offered  their  service,  and  to  supply 
me.  They  offered  me  a  credit  of  six,  eight,  or  twelve  months; 
but  with  this  they  connected  a  proposition  that  some  capital 
banking-house  in  France  should  indorse  my  bills,  and  this  ever 
defeated  all  their  other  proposals,  however  fair  and  promising 
they  before  appeared. 

In  the  month  of  July  (1776),  I  became  acquainted  with  Mon- 


24  MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE. 

sieur  Beaumarcliais,  a  gentleman  to  whom  I  owe  much,  my 
country  more ;  and  if  1  attempted  to  give  his  character  in  this 
narrative,  I  should  doubtless  be  thought  partial.  Happily  there 
is  no  necessity  of  my  doing  it,  as  an  honorable  member  of  this 
House,  now  present,  has  been  long  and  intimately  acquainted 
with  him,  and  an  eye-witness  of  the  services  which  he  rendered 
the  United  States;  which  services  will  speak  for  him  more  fully 
than  any  language  I  can  make  use  of.  It  is  sufficient  to  say 
here  that  this  gentleman  was  well  recommended  to  me;  that  I 
ever  found  him  equal,  and  even  superior  to  the  recommenda 
tions  given  of  him.  I  found  him  the  only  person  willing  to 
venture  a  considerable  credit  to  these  States  at  that  time,  and, 
from  the  favorable  light  he  stood  in  with  the  Prime  Minister, 
his  connections,  I  may  say  intimacy  with  the  great,  which  he 
owed  solely  to  his  superior  genius  and  ability  as  a  writer  and 
negotiator,  and  from  his  general  knowledge  and  correspond 
ence,  and  the  boldness  of  his  spirit  for  adventures,  the  only 
person  on  whom  I  could  rely  with  confidence  to  procure  the 
supplies  then  indispensably  necessary. 

Before  the  return  of  Dr.  Bancroft  to  London,  I  had  several 
interviews  with  this  gentleman,  the  Doctor  assisting  as  inter 
preter  between  us,  at  which  the  outlines  of  our  plan  for  sup 
plies  were  laid. 

After  fixing  on  a  mode  of  correspondence  with  Dr.  Bancroft 
and  obtaining  what  intelligence  he  could  give  me,  this  gentle 
man  returned  to  London,  having  spent  about  three  weeks,  with 
me,  during  which  he  gave  me  much  assistance,  and  laid  the 
foundation  for  much  more;  and  it  will  not  be  improper  to  say 
here,  that  the  correspondence  carried  on  between  us  was  never 
intercepted,  and  the  intelligence  I  received  from  him  whilst  he 
ventured  to  stay  there,  and  afterwards  from  his  friends,  was 
clear,  and  ever  proved  to  be  authentic  and  of  great  service  to 
the  affairs  we  were  intrusted  with. 

Soon  after  the  return  of  Dr.  Bancroft  I  received  a  letter  from 
Arthur  Lee,  Esq.,  then  at  London,  desiring  me  to  inform  Con- 


MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE.  25 

gress  that  Joseph  Keed,  Esq.  and  John  Langdon,  Esq.  were 
dangerous  persons,  and  to  put  Congress  on  their  guard  against 
them.  Stranger  as  I  was  to  Mr.  ,'JJee's  character,  his  letter 
greatly  surprised  me,  the  more  so; as  he  wrote  in  the  most  posi 
tive  terms,  without  giving  me  the  reasons  on  which  he  grounded 
his  charge.  I  replied  to  his  letter!  that  I  could  by  no  means 
comply  with  his  request ;  that  I  had  been  long  personally  ac 
quainted  with  the  gentlemen  he  mentioned,  and  that  I  had  the 
fullest  confidence  in  their  integrity  and  "zeal  for  the  service  of 
America,  therefore  could  not  think  of  transmitting  such  infor 
mation  without  its  being  at  the  same  time  supported  by  the 
fullest  proof;  that  I  knew  those  gentlemen  actually  held  im 
portant  posts  under  Congress ;  therefore,  if  the  charge  against 
them  could  be  supported,  no  time  should  be  lost  in  transmitting 
the  proper  evidence,  but  I  trembled  at  the  thought  of  giving 
Congress  suspicions  of  their  most  confidential  servants,  without 
certain  proofs  to  support  and  authorize  such  suspicions;  the 
consequence  must  have  been  pernicious  to  the  public  and  fatal 
to  the  individuals ;  this  was  the  purport  of  my  letter. 

Having  settled  the  plan  for  sending  out  supplies  to  America, 
with  Monsieur  Beaumarchais,  I  made  out  an  invoice  or  estimate 
of  clothing  for  thirty  thousand  men,  and  for  other  necessaries 
in  proportion,  together  with  an  invoice  for  two  hundred  pieces 
of  brass  cannon,  four  pounders,  and  of  twenty-eight  mortars ; 
the  cannon  and  mortars  he  told  me  he  could  purchase  out  of 
the  king's  arsenals,  and  could  possibly  obtain  a  credit  of  eight 
months,  or  perhaps  longer.  I  added  an  invoice,  or  order,  for 
thirty  thousand  fusees,  for  two  thousand  barrels  of  powder,  for 
ball,  lead,  flints,  four  thousand  tents,  and  other  articles  in  pro 
portion.  He  told  me  that  he  hoped  to  purchase  also  a  part  of 
the  fusees  from  the  arsenals. 

Having  agreed  generally  on  the  articles  to  be  furnished,  we 
turned  our  attention  to  the  transporting  them  to  America,  and 
made  a  contract  with  Monsieur  Monthieu  .for  the  ships  neces 
sary.  Monsieur  Beaumarchais  was  my  security  for  the  pay- 
4 


26  MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE. 

ment  of  the  freight  to  Monsieur  Monthieu.  Monsieur  Beau 
marchais  could  not  procure  the  fusees  out  of  the  arsenals  as  he 
expected,  or  at  least  but  a  small  part  of  them,  as  he  told  me, 
and  I  saw  him  at  the  time  purchase  and  pay  for  fifteen  thousand 
of  Monsieur  Monthieu,  and  smaller  quantities  of  others. 

As  the  transporting  so  large  a  train  of  artillery  to  the  sea 
ports,  and  so  many  fusees  and  other  warlike  stores,  must  neces 
sarily  have  occasioned  great  speculation  and  reports,  which  the 
British  ministry  could  not  long  be  ignorant  of,  and  as  the  ex 
portation  of  these  articles  was  expressly  prohibited,  we  found 
ourselves  greatly  embarrassed. 

Having  no  one  at  Court  who  could  openly  support  me  in  my 
operations,  and,  -to  avoid  suspicions,  venturing  seldom  to  go 
there  myself,  except  secretly,  I  complied  with  Monsieur  Beau- 
marchais's  proposal  of  sending  out  a  number  of  officers  with  the 
stores,  and  by  fixing  on  such  as  should  be  recommended  by 
persons  at  Court,  or  of  influence  by  their  connections  to  procure 
what  I  found  myself  destitute  of,  friends  and  patrons.  This 
was  the  origin  of  my  contracts  with  officers;  and  for  a  full 
explanation  of  it,  and  the  grounds  I  went  on  with  Monsieur 
Beaumarchais,  I  refer  to  his  letter  to  Congress  of  the  23d  of 
March  last,  No.  2. 

Having  found  that  the  want  of  remittances  had  put  it  out  of 
my  power  to  execute  the  contract  for  Indian  goods,  I  put  into 
the  list  given  Monsieur  Beaumarchais,  as  many  of  the  articles 
as  he  could  venture  to  engage  for,  and  applied  myself  wholly 
to  the  execution  of  this  greater  and  more  important  commission. 

I  now  found  myself  engaged  in  an  affair  which  called  for 
assistance.  I  had  taken  no  Secretary  with  me,  and  my  re 
sources  would  admit  of  nothing  inconsistent  with  the  most  rigid 
economy.  Major  Eogers  assisted  meat  times;  he  lodged  in  the 
same  hotel  with  me;  but  as  he  was  there  for  the  benefit  of  his  edu 
cation,  it  was  taking  from  that  worthy  young  gentleman,  with 
out  any  equivalent  reward,  what  no  one  can  afford  to  lose.  He 
mentioned  Mr.  Carmichael  to  me,  whom  I  now  have  the  pleasure 


MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE.  27 

of  seeing  a  member  of  this  honorable  Assembly,  as  a  gentleman 
of  his  acquaintance,  then  at  Paris  on  his  way  to  America,  but 
detained  there  for  the  recovery  of  his  health ;  I  was  introduced 
to  him.  After  conversing  with  him  generally  on  the  subject  of 
American  affairs,  he  told  me  that  he  was  acquainted  and  cor 
responded  with  Mr.  Arthur  Lee,  and  showed  me  in  the  leaf  of 
a  Pocket  Dictionary,  intelligence  for  Congress,  or  the  Secret 
Committee,  written  by  Mr.  Lee;  this  satisfied  me  as  to  his 
character,  to  which  before  I  was  a  stranger;  but  to  my  sur 
prise  I  found  the  same  intelligence  respecting  Mr.  Eeed  and 
Mr.  Langdon  as  had  before  been  conveyed  to  me  from  Mr.  Lee. 
I  expressed  my  astonishment  to  Mr.  Carrnichael,  and  my  extreme 
uneasiness  on  that  account,  when  he  made  me  for  the  first  time 
acquainted  with  a  part  of  Mr.  Lee's  character,  which  was  that  of 
being  excessively  jealous  and  suspicious,  and,  as  is  usual  with 
such  dispositions,  inclined  to  receive  and  credit  reports  on  the 
most  light  and  uncertain  grounds. 

Satisfied  with  my  interview  with  Mr.  Carmichael,  I  informed 
him  generally  of  my  situation,  and  invited  him  to  take  his 
lodgings  with  me,  and  favor  me  with  his  company  and  assist 
ance,  which,  as  he  had  then  made  some  progress  in  the  language, 
might  be  of  advantage  to  my  affairs.  He  complied,  and  soon 
after  I  received  from  Mr.  Arthur  Lee  a  letter,  informing  me 
that  he  should  pay  me  a  visit  in  a  few  days  incog.:  but  as  seve 
ral  other  persons  received  the  like  intelligence,  neither  his 
arrival  nor  his  stay  in  Paris  was  a  secret. 

I  was  now  in  the  midst  of  my  affairs  with  Monsieur  Beau- 
mar  chais,  and  was  with  him  every  day.  My  first  interview  with 
Mr.  Arthur  Lee  was  at  this  gentleman's  house.  I  afterwards 
frequently  met  them  together.  Mr.  A.  Lee  was  every  day  at 
my  lodgings,  and  I  spent  all  the  vacant  time  I  had  with  him. 
I  acquainted  him  with  my  prospects  of  procuring  supplies,  and 
from  whom ;  and  he  gave  me  the  highest  possible  character  of 
Mr.  Beaumarchais  for  his  abilities  and  address.  In  the  course 
of  our  conversation  on  other  subjects  I  entreated  him  to  inform 


28  MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE. 

me  on  what  grounds  he  had  gone  in  his  information  respecting 
Mr.  Keed  and  Mr.  Langdon.  He  told  me  that  as  to  Mr.  Heed, 
he  really  knew  nothing  more  than  that  he  formerly  corresponded 
with  Lord  Dartmouth,  and  that  his  brother-in-law,  M.  de  Berdt, 
was  actually  intimate  with  his  lordship.  But  for  Mr.  Langdon 
he  said  there  could  be  no  doubt,  as  he  was  the  last  winter  in 
London,  and  frequently  with  the  ministry.  I  replied,  that  as 
to  the  latter,  I  had  spent  the  last  winter  with  him  in  Philadel 
phia;  and  as  to  the  former,  I  could  not  think  that  such  vague 
and  inconclusive  circumstances  were  sufficient  to  authorize 
sending  general  charges  to  Congress ;  for  that  charges  of  such 
a  complexion,  and  coming  from  such  a  person  as  himself,  must 
forever  damn  the  reputation  of  those  accused  thereby,  and 
alarm  and  embarrass  the  public.  To  this  Mr.  Lee  said,  he 
knew  that  a  person  of  the  name  of  Langdon  had  been  in  London 
the  last  winter,  and  therefore  he  wrote,  supposing  him  to  be 
Mr.  John  Langdon  of  Portsmouth;  that  he  believed  that  he 
was  too  suspicious  at  times,  and  was  glad  that  I  had  not  sent 
forward  his  letter.  Mr.  Carmichael  told  him  that  he  had  for 
those  and  other  reasons  (having  previously  communicated  to 
me  the  contents  of  the  Dictionary  letter),  delayed  sending  it  on, 
with  which  Mr.  Lee  was  apparently  well  satisfied. 

I  mention  these  circumstances  here  to  show  on  what  ground 
a  serious  charge  has  since  been  brought  by  Mr.  Lee  against  Mr. 
Carmichael  for  having  opened  and  intercepted  these  dispatches, 
as  well  as  to  give  some  idea  how  difficult  a  part  I  had  after 
wards  to  act  with  a  colleague  of  such  a  disposition,  who  carried 
his  suspicions  so  far  as  often  to  declare  without  reserve,  that 
there  were  many  in  Congress,  and  even  in  their  Select  and 
Secret  Committee,  who  ought  not  to  be  trusted ;  these  his  sus 
picions,  afterwards  reported  to  persons  in  high  rank,  were,  I  am 
informed,  prejudicial  to  our  affairs,  because  I  have  been  several 
times  seriously  questioned  on  the  subject  by  the  minister. 

Mr.  Lee,  during  his  stay  at  Paris,  though  I  often  spoke  to  him 
of  the  affairs  I  had  with  Monsieur  Beaumarchais,  never  inti- 


MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE.  29 

mated  that  he  supposed  that  gentleman  to  have  received  money 
from  the  Court  of  France  to  enable  him  to  send  out  supplies, 
nor  was  it  ever  hinted  to  me  until  many  months  after,  when  to 
my  surprise  I  learned  that  such  intelligence  had  been  sent  to 
Congress  by  Mr.  Lee. 

As  I  am  now  on  this  subject,  I  must  take  the  liberty  to  go  a 
little  forward  in  my  narrative,  and  inform  that  after  Mr.  Lee's 
arrival  in  Paris  as  Commissioner,  when  he  estranged  himself 
from  M.  Beaumarchais,  and,  supposing  him  to  be  in  disgrace  at 
Court,  spoke  as  contemptuously  of  him  as  he  had  before  been 
high  in  his  commendation,  he  asserted  as  a  fact  that  Monsieur 
Beaumarchais  had  told  him  in  London  that  he  had  received 
two  hundred  thousand  pounds  sterling  of  administration  for  the 
use  of  Congress.  Monsieur  Beaumarchais  constantly  and  posi 
tively  denied  his  ever  having  said  any  such  thing.  As  it  is 
not  for  me  to  determine  which  of  these  gentlemen  is  right,  I 
refer  Congress  to  Monsieur  Beaumarchais's  letter  of  the  23d 
March,  with  the  inclosed  correspondence  between  him  and  Mr. 
Lee,  No.  2,  to  which  may  be  added  the  account  given  by  his 
Excellency  Monsieur  Gerard,  on  that  subject,  which  is  very 
different  from  any  supposition  that  those  supplies  were  a  gra 
tuity  from  the  Court  of  France.  Certain  it  is,  I  did  not  con 
sider  them  as  such  at  the  time,  for,  on  finding  there  was  a  sur 
plus  of  cannon  in  the  arsenals  to  be  disposed  of,  I  waited  on  the 
minister  and  solicited  the  liberty  of  purchasing  them,  but  was 
refused.  I  then  proposed  to  procure  a  man  to  purchase  them, 
on  condition  that  he  should  not  be  called  on  for  the  payment 
until  he  received  his  remittances  from  America.  I  could  not 
obtain  this.  My  view  in  this  was  to  obtain  a  longer  and  more 
certain  credit  than  could  be  relied  on  from  any  individual;  this 
application  I  made  previous  to  my  finishing  my  contracts  with 
Monsieur  de  Beaumarchais. 

Having  been  acquainted  with  Mr.  McCreary  at  Bordeaux,  I 
wrote  to  him  in  Holland,  that  as  he  was  returning  to  America, 
and  proposed  embarking  at  Bordeaux,  I  prayed  him  to  take 


30  MR.   DEANE  S  NARRATIVE. 

Paris  in  his  way  thither,  and  to  take  the  charge  of  my  dis 
patches  ;  by  this  gentleman  I  wrote  an  exact  account  of  all  my 
proceedings  to  the  time  of  his  sailing,  which  was  in  September. 
I  informed  Congress  of  my  contracts  with  Monsieur  Beaumar- 
chais  and  Monsieur  du  Coudray,  and  of  the  reasons  which  had 
induced  me  to  engage  with  the  latter ;  that  remittances  must  be 
immediately  made  to  the  former,  as  I  had  not  proposed  more 
than  eight  or  ten  months  credit;  that  by  much  the  greater  part 
of  my  bills  had  been  protested,  that  the  stores  I  had  engaged 
and  the  charges  arising  on  them  amounted  to  many  millions  of 
livres,  for  which  I  was  responsible ;  and  that  at  the  same  time 
I  had  not  received  one  line  from  Congress  since  my  leaving 
America  to  that  time. 

Plaving  dispatched  Mr.  McCreary,  I  applied  myself  assidu 
ously  to  the  sending  the  stores  to  the  different  ports ;  to  the 
procuring  intelligence  of  whatever  respected  America ;  in  set 
tling  and  keeping  up  a  correspondence  in  different  parts  of 
Europe,  and  in  forming  and  cultivating  an  acquaintance  with 
those  characters,  who  in  their  different  stations  might  promote 
the  interest  of  these  States. 

Doctor  Bancroft  paid  me  a  second  visit  in  the  month  of  Oc 
tober. 

I  had  made  an  acquaintance  with  the  agent  of  the  King  of 
Prussia,  at  Paris ;  and  from  the  encouragements  he  gave  me,  I 
was  induced  to  prevail  on  Mr.  Carmichael  to  make  a  journey  to 
Berlin,  by  the  way  of  Amsterdam,  with  the  view  of  obtaining 
intelligence  of  the  situation  of  affairs  in  those  parts  of  Europe; 
to  give  necessary  information  of  the  state  of  the  American  dis 
pute,  and  to  endeavor  to  open  a  correspondence  and  commerce 
from  thence  for  the  benefit  of  the  United  States.  He  set  out 
from  Paris  in  October,  and  returned  in  December.  During  his 
journey  he  had  an  opportunity  of  forming  an  acquaintance  with 
many  persons  of  note,  was  well  received  by  the  minister  at  Ber 
lin,  and  performed  such  services  as  met  with  the  approbation  of 
your  Commissioners  at  Paris,  who  arrived  just  after  his  return. 


MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE.  31 

I  need  not  be  more  particular  on  this  subject,  as  the  honorable 
gentleman  is  present. 

From  my  first  engagements  with  Monsieur  Beaumarchais,  I 
was  constantly  embarrassed  with  a  succession  of  obstacles  in 
the  way  of  my  getting  the  cannon  and  other  stores  to  the  sea 
ports  from  the  inland  magazines  where  they  lay.  France  was 
then  full  of  British  emissaries ;  the  cannon  were  at  Strasbourg 
and  in  other  interior  parts ;  the  moment  they  began  to  move, 
intelligence  was  given,  remonstrances  made,  and  counter  orders 
issued.  It  would  be  tedious  to  recount  the  instances  of  this 
kind,  and  perhaps  improper  to  relate  all  the  measures  taken  to 
obviate  the  difficulties  which  arose  daily  in  our  way. 

The  favorable  point  of  light  in  which  my  friend  Monsieur 
Beaumarchais  stood  with  the  Prime  Minister;  his  assiduity, 
address,  and  the  amazing  fertility  of  genius  which  he  displayed 
for  finding  fresh  resources  on  every  occasion,  enabled  us  to  get 
so  well  forward  in  the  execution  of  our  plan,  that  in  November 
nearly  the  whole  of  the  stores  were  collected  at  Marseilles, 
Nantes,  Bordeaux,  Havre,  and  Dunkirk,  and  ships  ready  at 
those  different  ports  to  transport  them  to  America. 

About  the  last  of  November,  1776,  Mr.  Beaumarchais  went 
to  Havre  de  Grace  to  dispatch  the  Amphitrite  and  another  ship, 
viz.,  the  La  Seine,  from  thence.  His  going  and  his  errand  soon 
became  publicly  known,  and  he  had  only  time  to  dispatch  the 
first  ship  before  orders  arrived  from  Court  to  stop  them ;  simi 
lar  orders  were  sent  to  the  different  ports.  Much  was  said  on 
the  subject,  and  such  an  alarm  given  that  nothing  more  could 
be  immediately  done,  and  he  returned  to  Paris  almost  dis 
couraged,  and  much  blamed  at  Court,  of  which  his,  as  well  as 
the  enemies  of  America,  took  advantage. 

Just  about  this  period  I  received  advice  of  the  arrival  of  Dr. 
Franklin  at  Nantes,  with  a  commission  appointing  the  Honor 
able  A.  Lee,  Esq.  and  myself,  joint  Commissioners  with  him  at 
the  Court  of  Versailles,  and  with  a  commission  appointing 
Thomas  Morris,  Esq.,  Commercial  Agent.  I  dispatched  an 


32  MR.  DEANE'S  NARKATIVE. 

express  to  London  to  inform  these  gentlemen  of  their  appoint 
ment,  and  a  few  days  after  met  Dr.  Franklin  at  Versailles,  and 
conducted  him  to  my  lodgings  at  Paris.  Mr.  Lee  arrived  a  few 
days  after.  Dr.  Franklin  took  lodgings  which  I  had  provided 
for  him  by  his  desire,  in  his  letter  to  me  from  Nantes,  in  the 
same  hotel  with  me,  and  Mr.  Lee  in  a  different  part  of  the  city. 

As  soon  as  Dr.  Franklin  had  a  little  recruited  himself  from 
the  excessive  fatigues  of  his  voyage,  we  waited  on  his  Excel 
lency  Monsieur  de  Vergennes,  Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs,  and 
presented  him  with  a  copy  of  the  commission  we  .had  received. 

Previous'  to  this  interview,  the  Amphitrite,  dispatched  by 
Monsieur  Beaumarchais  from  Havre  de  Grace,  returned  into 
Port  L'Orient  by  reason  of  contrary  winds,  and  of  some  diffi 
culties  and  disputes  among  the  passengers.  The  return  of  this 
ship  increased  the  reports  then  circulating  in  France,  and 
which,  being  transmitted  to  England,  produced  the  most  un 
favorable  consequences. 

At  the  interview  with  the  minister,  the  Commissioners  entered 
only  on  general  subjects,  and  were  generally  assured  of  the 
utmost  personal  protection  and  civilities ;  were  advised  to  con 
tinue  as  in  a  private  character,  in  which  the  minister  was  pleased 
to  say  I  had  done  well;  but  as  to  the  purport  of  our  commission, 
so  many  affairs  of  the  utmost  consequence  were  dependent 
upon,  and  connected  therewith,  that  it  required  the  most  serious 
consideration.  That  he  hoped  we  should  be  very  happy  in 
France,  and  that  he  should  be  always  ready  to  render  us  every 
service  consistent  with  his  station  and  the  treaties  subsisting 
between  the  Courts  of  Versailles  and  London,  which  his  Ma 
jesty  would,  on  no  occasion  violate.  He  desired  us,  that,  when 
ever  we  had  anything  to  communicate,  we  should  do  it  directly 
to  him  or  to  Monsieur  Gerard,  and  be  careful  of  speaking  to 
others.  This  was  the  substance  of  the  conversation;  after 
which  I  mentioned  to  his  Excellency  the  situation  in  which  the 
cannon  and  stores  I  had  purchased  actually  were,  and  prayed 
his  advice.  On  which  he  asked  me  of  whom  I  had  purchased  ? 


ME.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE.  33 

I  told  him ;  he  said  there  had  been  some  very  imprudent  con 
duct  in  the  affair,  and  appeared  to  blame  Monsieur  Beaumar- 
chais  on  the  subject;  indeed,  he  appeared  not  desirous  of 
knowing  anything  of  the  affair,  or  willing  to  discourse  on  it  at 
that  time,  on  which  we  took  our  leave  and  returned  to  Paris, 
where  I  laid  the  state  of  my  case  before  my  colleagues,  and 
found  Mr.  Lee  persuaded  from  what  had  passed  between  Mon 
sieur  le  Compte  de  Vergennes  and  me,  as  well  as  from  the  com 
mon  report  in  the  city,  that  Monsieur  Beaurnarchais  was  a 
disgraced  and  a  ruined  man.  My  colleagues  determined  that  as 
it  was  an  affair  undertaken  solely  by  me,  they  would  not  med 
dle  with  it,  but  left  it  with  me  to  conduct  it  through  in  the  best 
manner  I  could. 

I  visited  Monsieur  Beaumarchais,  and  found  him  sick  and 
confined  to  his  bed  from  the  fatigue  and  vexation  he  had  under 
gone  ;  never  had  I  found  myself  in  so  critical  and  distressed 
situation  as  at  that  period.  All  the  difficulties  before  removed, 
were  nothing  to  those  I  was  then'  surrounded  by. 

The  stores,  amounting  to  thirty  thousand  stand  of  arms  com 
plete,  near  two  hundred  and  fifty  pieces  of  brass  artillery, 
clothing,  powder,  &c.,  &c.,  were  ready  in  the  ports,  and  ships 
lying  on  expense  ready  to  receive  them.  The  officers  returned 
were  very  clamorous.  Monsieur  de  Coudray  was  loud  in  his 
complaints  against  Monsieur  Beaumarchais  and  the  agents  for 
supplying  the  ship,  whilst  Monsieur  Beaumarchais  and  others 
complained  as  loudly  against  the  conduct  of  M.  du  Coudray. 
Add  to  this  the  intelligence  of  the  very  critical  situation  of  our 
armies  in  America,  of  the  misfortunes  they  had  met  with,  and 
the  distress  they  were  in  for  the  want  of  supplies,  together  with 
the  reserve  and  coolness  of  the  minister  on  the  subject,  put  me 
almost  into  a  state  of  desperation;  but  as  it  was  absolutely 
necessary  to  do  something,  I  consulted  with  Monsieur  Beau 
marchais  whose  abilities  and  zeal  I  had  been  long  acquainted 
with,  and,  however  appearances  were  at  court  and  in  the  city 
then  strongly  against  him,  I  could  not  think  of  deserting, 


34:  MK.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE. 

or  rather  permitting  him  to  desert  from  or  fall  under  the 
great  affairs  in  hand,  which  must  inevitably  have  fallen  with 
him. 

"We  considered  that  the  Amphitrite  alone  had  ten  or  twelve 
thousand  stand  of  arms,  about  sixty  pieces  of  cannon,  clothing 
and  blankets  to  a  great  amount;  and  it  was  very  evident  that 
the  getting  that  ship  out  to  America  would  be  a  great  and 
capital  supply. 

To  effect  this  I  wrote  to  Monsieur  du  Coudray,  told  him  of 
the  complaints  made  against  him,  and  forbade  his  embarking 
again  in  the  Amphitrite,  or  in  any  other  vessel  in  which  I  was 
concerned.  The  Minister  of  War  sent  orders  to  him  to  join  his 
corps  immediately  at  Strasbourg,  and  Monsieur  Beaumarchais 
sent  his  secretary,  M.  Francis,  now  his  agent  in  these  States,  to 
L' Orient  with  orders  to  clear  out  the  ship  as  for  the  West 
Indies,  and  to  give  security  with  the  captain  that  she  should 
not  go  elsewhere.  By  this  and  other  measures  the  ship  got 
again  to  sea,  and  fortunately  arrived  at  Portsmouth  in  New 
Hampshire  in  April  following,  just  as  the  troops  of  these  States 
were  taking  the  field. 

I  ought  to  mention  here,  that  on  the  return  of  the  ship  in 
November,  1777,  the  captain  was  instantly  arrested  and  im 
prisoned  for  the  breach  of  his  engagements.  The  shock  which 
this  gave  our  credit,  especially  among  the  merchants  and  mo 
neyed  men,  is  more  easily  to  be  conceived  than  expressed. 

M.  du  Coudray  came  secretly  to  Paris.  I  saw  him  and  ex 
postulated  with  him  on  what  had  passed,  urging  him  to  give  up 
for  the  present  all  thoughts  of  prosecuting  his  voyage  to  Ame 
rica.  He  was  unwilling  to  agree  to  it,  and  chose  to  go  out  at 
any  rate.  I  told  him  he  must  not  rely  on  my  doing  anything 
further  in  his  affairs;  he  was  in  danger  of  being  arrested  at 
Paris  on  account  of  the  order  I  before  mentioned,  and  left  the 
city  privately.  After  which  two  gentlemen  of  high  rank,  the 
Due  de  Eochefaucault  and  the  Chevalier  de  Chattelier,  waited 
on  Dr.  Franklin  and  myself,  Mr.  Lee  being  to  the  best  of  my 


ME.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE.  35 

remembrance  out  of  town,  and  urged  that  I  should  not  oppose 
the  going  out  of  Monsieur  du  Coudray.  I  stated  generally  my 
situation,  but  the  character  and  abilities  of  this  gentleman  were 
so  strongly  urged  by  his  noble  patrons,  that  Dr.  Franklin  Re 
solved  to  write  in  his  favor,  and  having  written  the  letter,  I 
could  no  longer  refuse  joining  him  in  it,  which  I  did,  on  condi 
tion  that  Monsieur  du  Coudray  should  not  embark  in  any  of 
the  ships  I  ordered  stores  to  be  sent  in,  but  that  he  should  shift 
for  himself  as  well  as  he  could. 

Mr.  Thomas  Morris  came  to  Paris  soon  after  the  Honorable 
Mr.  Lee,  and  Dr.  Bancroft  and  Mr.  Williams  came  with  him  on 
a  visit,  the  latter  to  Dr.  Franklin,  and  the  former  more  imme 
diately  to  me,  on  account  of  the  correspondence  between  us. 

The  Congress  had  ordered  the  commercial  agent  to  pay  the 
Commissioners  ten  thousand  pounds  sterling  for  their  private 
use,  which  he  was  not  then  able  to  do,  but  referred  us  to  a 
banker  in  Paris  for  our  present  demands  and  went  to  Nantes. 
The  manner  in  which  affairs  were,  as  the  Commissioners  were 
informed,  conducted  by  him,  gave  them  great  uneasiness  on 
every  account.  They  were  uncertain  even  of  the  money  neces 
sary  for  their  support,  and  wrote  on  the  subject;  in  answer  to 
which.  M.  Gruel  of  Nantes  wrote  to  the  banker,  Monsieur  Sou- 
lier,  to  pay  us  as  we  should  call  for  it  ninety  thousand  livres, 
or  three  thousand  seven  hundred  and  fifty  pounds.  Being  in 
formed  of  this,  the  Commissioners  wrote  to  Congress  their 
opinion  of  Mr.  Thomas  Morris,  and  to  him  to  complete  the 
payment  of  the  ten  thousand  pounds  without  delay.  The  foibles 
and  extravagancies  of  this  gentleman  I  hope  will  be  buried 
with  him,  and  I  desire  only  that  it  may  be  remembered  that  he 
had  it  not  in  his  power  to  comply  with  our  demands  as  to  the 
money ;  he  received  remittances  but  sparingly,  and  orders  for 
goods  very  liberally. 

Having  received  this  assurance  of  money  for  our  support, 
and  a  promise  of  two  millions  of  livres  to  be  paid  us  by  Mon 
sieur  Grand,  whose  brother,  Sir  George  Grand  of  Amsterdam, 


36  MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE. 

then  at  Paris,  was  very  friendly  to  us  in  that  and  in  other  mat 
ters,  it  was  thought  advisable  for  Mr.  Lee  to  set  out  for  Madrid, 
as  there  appeared  to  be  a  prospect  of  doing  something  there, 
and*  he  could  not  for  many  reasons  be  of  any  immediate  use  to 
these  States  at  Paris. 

Accordingly  he  set  out  to  make  that  journey  by  the  way  of 
Nantes  and  Bordeaux,  where  it  was  thought  he  might  be  of 
service  in  examining  personally  in  what  manner  our  commercial 
affairs  were  transacted. 

I  now  return  to  the  affair  of  the  stores  in  which  I  was  solely 
engaged.  Soon  after  the  sailing  of  the  Amphitrite  a  second 
time  from  Port  L'Orient,  the  rumors  before  raised  beginning  to 
subside,  I  consulted  with  Monsieur  Beaumarchais  on  measures 
for  sending  out  the  others,  and  on  finding  a  probability  of  suc 
cess,  I  was  alarmed  with  the  report  that  the  arms  as  well  as 
other  supplies  were  bad,  and  that  I  had  been  imposed  on. 
This  was  circulated,  as  I  suspected  at  the  time,  by  the  enemies 
of  Monsieur  Beaumarchais,  as  well  as  of  these  States,  but  never 
theless  it  perplexed  me  exceedingly,  business  of  the  public  pre 
vented  my  leaving  Paris  to  go  and  examine  those  cargoes 
myself.  It'would  have  been  imprudent  in  me  to  have  done  it, 
had  I  been  at  leisure,  as  such  a  step  must  have  confirmed  the 
suspicions  of  those  who  conjectured  that  those  cargoes  were 
designed  for  America ;  and  a  report  propagated  by  the  enemies 
of  these  States  that  the  attempt  to  destroy  the  magazines,  stores, 
and  shipping  at  Portsmouth  had  been  made  in  consequence  of 
my  secret  negotiations,  had  such  an  effect  on  the  minds  of  the 
weak  and  credulous,  as  well  as  on  the  desperate  partisans  of 
Great  Britain,  that  the  minister  advised  me  not  to  leave  Paris, 
and  even  to  be  on  my  guard  as  to  the  security  of  my  person; 
whilst  there,  and  from  the  information  he  received,  he  even 
went  so  far  as  to  give  particular  orders  to  the  police,  with 
respect  to  my  personal  safety. 

Thus  situated,  I  proposed  to  Dr.  Franklin  that  Mr.  Williams 
should  go  to  Nantes,  and  examine  the  stores  about  to  be  shipped 


MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE.  37 

from  thence,  and  send  up  an  account  how  he  found  them,  and 
samples,  by  which  a  judgment  might  be  formed  with  certainty, 
and  that  Mr.  Carmichael  should  go  to  Havre  de  Grace  for  the 
same  purpose.  The  Doctor  approved,  and  these  gentlemen 
went;  found  everything  in  good  order,  and  had  the  address  to 
ship  off  the  stores,  then  ready  at  those  ports,  a  principal  part  of 
which  arrived  in  season  for  the  operations  of  the  campaign  of 
1777. 

Nantes  being  a  capital  port,  from  which  I  found  that  further 
exportations  must  be  made,  I  prevailed  on  Mr.  Williams  to 
return  thither  and  to  continue  in  the  business  until  the  whole 
should  be  completed.  I  found  this  gentleman  by  this  trial  to 
be  capable,  and  really  a  man  of  business,  willing  to  sacrifice 
everything  for  his  country,  and  of  the  most  disinterested  and 
generous  principles.  I  therefore  considered  the  fixing  of  him 
at  Nantes,  in  this  business,  as  a  valuable  acquisition. 

In  the  course  of  the  examination  of  the  public  accounts  it 
will  appear  what  business  he  did,  and  what  reward  he  received 
therefor. 

By 'the  embarkation  at  Nantes  and  Havre,  a  considerable 
part  of  the  stores  were  shipped,  yet  a  valuable  part  remained, 
and  the  intelligence  from  America  was  such  as  by  no  means 
helped  forward  the  remainder.  In  a  word,  by  a  continued  secret 
negotiation,  and  the  most  assiduous  attention  to  times  and  cir 
cumstances,  the  last  of  those  stores  were  embarked  at  Marseilles 
in  September,  1777,  on  board  the  Flammand,  Captain  Landais, 
which  ship  had  been  waiting  ten  months  on  expenses  to  receive 
her  cargo.  The  cargo  was  finally  shipped  secretly,  and  at  a 
considerable  risk  to  the  parties  immediately  concerned.  This 
ship  fortunately  arrived  at  Portsmouth  in  New  Hampshire. 

During  Mr.  Lee's  absence  on  his  journey  into  Spain,  a  con 
tract  was  made  with  the  Farmers  General  for  five  thousand 
hogsheads  of  tobacco,  as  per  contract  No.  3,  and  one  million  of 
livres  were  received,  the  part  to  be  advanced.  The  Commis 
sioners  were  now  sure  of  three  million  of  livres,  equal  nearly  to 


38  MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE. 

one  hundred  and  thirty-one  thousand  pounds  sterling,  to  answer 
the  demands  already  on  them,  and  to  enable  them  to  procure 
further  supplies.  When  I  mention  the  demands  on  the  Com 
missioners,  I  ought  to  inform  that  the  contract  with  Monsieur 
Beaumarchais  was  considered  as  an  affair  entirely  out  of  the 
question,  and  solely  between  him  and  me,  my  colleagues  having 
declined  being  concerned,  and  that  no  money  was  ever  ad 
vanced  or  paid  to  him  by  the  Commissioners. 

I  purchased  of  Monsieur  Chaumont  fifty  tons  of  saltpetre, 
and  shipped  it,  on  account  of  Congress,  as  ballast  in  American 
vessels  going  out  previous  to  the  arrival  of  my  colleagues,  and 
paid  him  for  it  out  of  the  money  I  carried  with  me.  I  had 
purchased  of  the  same  gentleman  two  hundred  tons  of  powder, 
for  which  I  had  given  my  notes  or  bills,  which  were  paid  out 
of  this  money.  These  were  all  the  purchases  independent  of 
my  contract  with  Monsieur  Beaumarchais,  which  I  had  made  of 
any  consequence.  The  saltpetre  cost  nearly  five  and  a  half 
pence  sterling,  and  the  powder  ten  pence  per  pound. 

Mr.  Hodge,  and  soon  after  him  Captain  Bell  arrived,  with 
dispatches  from  Congress,  in  which  the  Commissioners  were 
directed  to  fit  out,  if  in  their  power  to  do  it,  armed  cruisers 
from  France  to  annoy  the  British  trade  in  Europe,  and  blank 
commissions  were  sent  there  for  that  purpose. 

Previous  to  the  arrival  of  Dr.  Franklin  and  Mr.  Lee,  I  had 
formed  an  acquaintance  with  Monsieur  Boux,  a  gentleman  emi 
nent  for  his  knowledge  in  the  construction  of  ships,  and  for  his 
bravery  in  commanding.  Dr.  Franklin  and  Mr.  Lee  conversed 
with  him  and  approved  his  plans.  This  man  was  sent  into 
Holland  by  the  Commissioners  to  build  a  large  ship  for  the 
United  States,  and  three  hundred  thousand  livres  advanced  to 
Sir  George  Grand  to  carry  on  the  work. 

Dr.  Franklin  and  myself,  Mr.  Lee  then  in  Spain,  made  a  con 
tract  with  this  gentleman  to  come  out  to  America  as  soon  as  the 
ship  should  be  completed.  This  proceeding  was  not  a  secret  to 


MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE.  39 

the  ministry,  for  we  made  no  considerable  purchase  or  contract 
without  acquainting  them  with  it. 

Mr.  Hodge  soon  went  for  Dunkirk,  to  purchase  and  fit  out 
from  thence  a  cruiser,  and  took  with  him  a  credit  on  the  house 
of  Messrs.  Morrels  at  that  place. 

Captain  Weeks,  on  his  first  coming  into  France,  brought  with 
him  two  prizes  which  he  disposed  of  without  difficulty.  He 
refitted,  made  a  cruise,  and  brought  in  three  others  which  he 
also  disposed  of.  This  gave  us  encouragement  to  proceed  in 
executing  the  wishes  of  Congress,  signified  by  the  Secret  Com 
mittee. 

Captain  Johnson  arriving  at  Bordeaux  in  the  Lexington,  and 
the  Commissioners  having  purchased  a  cutter,  it  was  agreed  to 
refit  and  send  out  Captain  Weeks  and  Captain  Johnson  in  their 
vessels,  and  Captain  Nicholson  in  the  cutter,  on  a  more  consi 
derable  expedition.  Accordingly  they  sailed,  nearly  as  I  re 
member,  some  time  in  April,  1777,  with  the  design  of  intercept 
ing  the  Irish  linen  ships.  They  cruised  some  time  in  the 
Channel  and  Irish  Sea,  and  missing  the  great  object  in  view, 
they  took,  burnt,  and  sunk  near  twenty  sail  of  vessels  of  small 
value,  and  sailing  round  Ireland  returned  into  St.  Maloes  and 
Morlaix  in  France,  with  a  part  of  their  prizes.  This  caused 
great  alarms  in  England  and  Ireland,  raised  the  price  of  insu 
rance,  and  brought  over  warm  remonstrances  from  the  British 
Ministry. 

From  Dunkirk,  Mr.  Hodge  fitted  out  Captain  Conyngham  a 
cutter,  with  the  design  of  intercepting  a  rich  packet-boat  from 
Harwich,  destroy  some  'of  the  transports  carrying  over  the 
Hessian  troops  to  England,  and  to  cruise  in  the  Northern 
Ocean.  Captain  Conyngham  captured  a  packet-boat,  and  sup 
posing  he  had  intercepted  important  intelligence,  unadvisedly 
returned  into  port.  He  also  took  a  brig  on  his  return.  Mr. 
Hodge  came  up  to  Paris  with  the  letters  taken  in  the  packet. 
Orders  were  sent  from  the  court  to  restore  the  two  prizes,  to 
detain  Captain  Conyngham's  vessel,  and  to  imprison  him  and 


'40  ME.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE. 

his  people.  These  orders  were  executed ;  but  these  expeditions 
caused  a  great  sensation  to  the  British  commerce ;  and  for  the 
first  time  since  Britain  was  a  maritime  power,  the  River  Thames 
and  other  of  its  ports  were  crowded  with  French  and  other  ships 
taking  in  freight,  in  order  to  avoid  the  risk  of  having  British 
property  captured. 

After  the  alarm  had  a  little  subsided,  liberty  was  obtained  to 
send  Captain  Conyngham  and  his  people  out  of  France,  in 
another  vessel.  To  effect  this,  Mr.  Carmichael  went  with  Mr. 
Hodge  to  Dunkirk,  purchased  and  fitted  out  a  second  vessel 
well  armed  against  the  insults  of  British  cruisers,  and  ordered 
Captain  Conyngham  not  to  cruise  or  commit  hostilities  on  the 
coast  of  France.  Captain  Conyngham  sailed  with  the  resolution 
of  following  his  orders,  bat  he  had  not  been  long  at  sea  before 
his  people  mutinied  and  obliged  him  to  make  prizes.  This 
renewed  the  alarm  in  England,  occasioned  fresh  and  warm 
complaints  from  that  side;  to  silence  which,  Mr.  Hodge  was 
confined  in  the  Bastile  for  five  or  six  weeks,  where  he  was 
treated  as  well  as  a  prisoner  could  be,  and  suffered  in  nothing 
but  the  confinement,  which  indeed  was  sufficiently  severe  to  one 
of  his  spirit  and  feelings. 

Captain  Conyngham  pursued  his  cruise,  sailed  round  England 
and  Ireland,  and  carried  a  prize  with  him  into  Spain,  which, 
from  the  then  situation  of  affairs  there,  turned  to  little  account, 
as  did  some  others  he  afterwards  captured. 

Mr.  Hodge  from  the  first  took  an  interest  in  the  vessel,  and 
advanced  his  proportion  of  the  money,  and  finding  this  adven 
ture  was  now  become  an  object  too  trifling  to  take  up  our  at 
tention,  I  proposed  a  sale  of  the  public  interest  in  the  vessel  to 
Mr.  Eoss  and  Mr.  Hodge.  Mr.  Hodge  delivered  his  accounts 
to  Mr.  A.  Lee  and  went  for  Spain,  but  the  bargain  was  never 
formally  completed,  owing  to  some  difficulties  on  the  part  of 
Mr.  Lee. — While  on  the  subject  of  marine  affairs,  I  will  here 
take  the  liberty  to  finish  the  information  I  have  to  give  on  those 
affairs.  Orders  were  given  to  detain  Captain  Weeks  and  all  the 


MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE.  41 

other  armed  American  vessels,  but  after  a  few  weeks  they  were 
permitted  to  sail.  The  Captains  Johnson,  "Weeks,  and  others, 
drew  on  the  Commissioners  for  the  repairs  of  their  vessels, 
whilst  the  commercial  agents  and  others,  disposed  of  the  prizes 
and  rendered  no  account  to  the  Commissioners ;  this  occasioned 
Dr.  Franklin  and  myself  to  give  orders  to  the  Captains  to  order 
their  prizes  to  the  care  and  disposition  of  Mr.  Williams.  The 
amount  of  those  expenses  was,  as  will  appear  by  the  accounts, 
very  large.  Two  valuable  Jamaica  ships  were  captured  and 
brought  into  Nantes  by  armed  vessels  belonging  to  the  subjects 
of  these  States,  and  put  into  the  care  of  Mr.  W.  Lee  and  Mr. 
Williams.  After  Mr.  Williams  had  sold  in  the  usual  manner  a 
part  of  their  cargoes,  and  after  Mr.  Williams  had  advanced  a 
considerable  sum  to  the  captains,  the  whole  of  the  prizes  by 
order  from  court  was  taken  out  of  his  hands,  confiscated  to  the 
king  on  account  of  their  having  entered  as  if  coming  from  St. 
Eustatia,  which  proved  a  false  entry,  and  afterwards  they  were 
by  the  king  restored  to  their  original  owners.  This  was  during 
the  month  of  August,  1777.  I  had  afterwards,  with  the  assist 
ance  of  Monsieur  Chaumont,  who  interested  himself  in  this 
affair,  sufficient  influence  to  obtain  the  most  ample  satisfaction 
to  be  made  to  the  captors.  The  privateers  were  the  Boston 
and  Hancock.  The  sum  obtained  for  them  in  favor  of  the  cap 
tors  being  four  hundred  thousand  livres,  or  seventeen  thousand 
five  hundred  pounds  sterling,  in  which  affair  Monsieur  Chau- 
rnont  and  myself  were  solely  active. 

Captains  Thomson  and  Hinman  arrived  in  the  month  of 
November,  1777,  in  two  of  the  continental  frigates  at  Port 
L'Orient  with  two  prizes,  which  they  sold  without  difficulty, 
but  at  a  low  rate.  Their  equipments  exceeded  the  continental 
share  to  a  large  amount,  as  will  be  seen  in  the  general  state  of 
the  public  accounts. 

Captain  Cleveland  arrived  at  Bordeaux  in  a  merchant  ves 
sel  chartered  and  loaded  by  order  of  Congress  to  the  direction 
of  Mr.  Mirkle,  who  had  made  a  contract  with  the  commercial 
6 


42  MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE. 

committee,  and  was  promised  fifteen  thousand  pounds  sterling, 
to  be  paid  him  in  France.  This  gentleman,  after  purchasing 
part  of  the  goods,  and  being  disappointed  of  the  money  pro 
mised  him,  was  thrown  into  the  most  distressing  situation,  and 
Captain  Cleveland,  unable  to  return,  the  Commissioners  were 
in  consequence  obliged  to  advance  money  on  that  account,  as 
will  be  seen  in  the  general  state  of  the  account  delivered;  be 
sides  these  different  sums  advanced  by  the  Commissioners,  they 
had  to  pay  for  packets  to  a  considerable  amount. 

Before  I  return  to  the  general  thread  pf  my  narrative,  I  must 
in  justice  say  that,  through  the  whole  of  these  embarrassments 
and  apparent  hard  treatment  from  court,  the  result  of  political 
necessity,  the  American  subjects  of  these  States  were  every 
where  kindly  received  by  the  people  in  France,  and  treated  in 
the  most  friendly  and  hospitable  manner.  Equal  justice  to  my 
colleagues  as  well  as  to  myself  obliges  me  also  to  say,  that  the 
principal  part  of  this  as  well  as  of  every  other  executive  part 
of  the  public  business  was  devolved  on  me. 

Soon  after  receiving  assurances  of  two  millions  of  livres,  it 
was  proposed  to  appropriate  a  part  thereof  to  the  payment  of 
the  interest  of  the  money  then  borrowing  by  Congress  in  Ame 
rica,  and  that  we  should  write  to  Congress  and  inform  them 
that  the  interest  of  their  loan  would  be  paid  in  Europe  at  the 
rate  of  five  livres  the  dollar.  I  strenuously  objected  to  this 
measure.  My  reasons  against  it  were,  first,  that  the  lenders  of 
the  money  in  America  had  no  right  to,  nor  did  they  expect 
other  money  in  payment  of  their  interest  than  what  they  depo 
sited  in  the  loan  office.  That  the  exchange  being  in  favor  of 
Europe  and  against  America,  supposing  the  money  lent  to  have 
been  actually  in  specie,  five  livres  in  France  must  be  of  more 
value  than  a  milled  dollar  in  America.  These  appeared  to  me 
reasonable  objections,  if  no  depreciation  took  place  on  the  Conti 
nental  currency,  but  the  money  had  actually  begun  to  depreciate 
before  the  loan  offices  were  opened,  and  how  low  it  would  fall 
was  impossible  to  be  foreseen.  That  the  money  we  had,  and  the 


MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE.  43 

whole  we  could  venture  to  count  on  receiving  from  the  remit 
tances  to  be  made,  would  fall  short  of  the  demands  upon  us 
already,  and  those  which  must  be  made  on  us  in  the  course  of 
the  year  for  supplies.  It  was  easily  made  evident  that  no  part 
of  the  Commissioners'  stock  actually  in  hand  and  expected,  could 
be  appropriated,  were  the  other  objections  removed.  The  whole 
amount,  including  the  million  received  of  the  Farmers  General, 
was  but  three  millions  of  livres,  or  one  hundred  and  thirty-one 
thousand  two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  sterling. 

The  Commissioners,  through  the  agency  of  Sir  George  Grand, 
received  general  encouragement,  that  the  interest  of  the  money 
borrowed  in  America  should  be  paid  in  France,  but  never  re 
ceived  anything  in  writing  on  the  subject.  Had  a  promise  been 
ever  so  explicitly  made  for  the  interest,  still,  my  first  objections 
remained,  the  last  of  them  in  full  force,  and  a  new  and  obvious 
one  arose,  which  was,  that  if  we  could  rely  on  the  payment  even 
of  the  interest  of  but  five  or  ten  millions  of  dollars  in  Europe, 
that  sum  might  on  this  security  be  borrowed  in  Europe;  which 
must  at  that  very  time  have  been  more  than  fifty  per  cent, 
more  valuable  than  a  loan  of  so  much  paper  in  America.  To 
this  it  was  answered,  that  it  was  of  the  last  importance  to  keep 
up  the  credit  of  the  Continental  paper ;  that  although  the  paper 
had  begun  to  depreciate  among  individuals  before  they  placed 
it  in  the  public  loan,  yet  the  public  ought  not  to  know  any  dif 
ference  between  their  paper  and  specie ;  that  this  measure  would 
effectually  prevent  any  future  depreciation,  and  give  the  paper 
of  Congress  such  a  credit  and  circulation  that  the  war  might  be 
carried  on  without  any  foreign  loan;  and  many  arguments  were 
urged  to  show  that  a  foreign  loan  ought  not  to  be  made,  if  it 
could  possibly  be  avoided.  To  me  it  appeared  that  a  foreign 
loan  was  necessary,  absolutely  so,  from  the  moment  the  paper 
remitted  exceeded  the  amount  of  the  specie  necessary  in  circula 
tion,  for  that,  from  that  moment,  a  depreciation  must  commence. 
These  were  the  arguments  used,  and,  hoping  for  the  best,  I  sub 
mitted  and  joined  in  the  letter  wrote  to  the  Secret  Committee  on 


44  ME.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE. 

that  subject.  After  which,  to  the  time  of  my  recall,  I  exerted 
what  influence  and  address  I  was  master  of  to  obtain  in  writing 
a  promise  of  the  interest  to  a  certain  amount,  but  without  suc 
cess,  never  obtaining  more  than  general  encouragement,  and 
that  commonly  through  a  third  person. 

During  Mr.  Lee's  absence  a  resolution  of  Congress  was  re 
ceived,  ordering  the  Commissioners  to  purchase  a  large  number 
of  suits  of  clothes  for  the  army,  a  number  of  brass  cannon,  to 
the  amount  of  about  two  hundred ;  to  procure  on  loan  or  other 
wise,  several  ships  of  the  line. 

At  the  same  time  instructions  were  received  to  make  addi 
tional  proposals  to  France  and  Spain,  to  induce  them  to  declare 
in  our  favor,  and  to  negotiate  a  loan  of  money.  With  these 
dispatches  came  an  order  to  the  commercial  agents  to  supply 
the  Commissioners  with  money  for  the  above  purchases,  and  a 
commission  appointing  Dr.  Franklin  Commissioner  to  the 
Court  of  Spain. 

On  application  to  the  minister,  which  was  in  March,  1777,  we 
received  for  answer  that  the  proposals  should  be  taken  into 
consideration,  and  that  no  answer  could  be  immediately  given ; 
that  he  could  afford  no  assistance,  either  in  procuring  the  can 
non  or  ships;  that  as  to  the  loan,  we  were  at  liberty  to  negotiate 
it  on  the  best  terms,  only  advised  us  not  to  offer  a  greater  in 
terest  than  France  gave,  as  they  were  then  borrowing ;  that  he 
thought  it  prudent  for  us  to  use  what  funds  we  might  have  at 
command,  and  what  credit  we  dare  venture  upon  in  procuring 
the  most  essential  part  of  the  supplies. 

In  addition  to  the  other  disbursements,  a  magazine  of  arms 
had  been  purchased  at  Nantes  for  two  hundred  and  twenty 
thousand  livres  (see  No.  4),  which,  with  four  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  livres  advanced  in  payment  for  goods  purchased  by 
Mr.  Boss  for  Congress,  had  diminished  our  original  stock  near 
one-half. 

As  to  the  loan,  after  much  deliberation,  Dr.  Franklin  and 
myself  proposed  making  a  trial  whether  individuals  could  not 


ME.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE.  45 

be  induced  to  advance  money  on  the  security  which  could  be 
given  them  on  the  vacant  lands.  It  was  what  had  often  been 
thought  of,  and  the  moneyed  men  seemed  to  listen  to  the  plan, 
but  before  we  made  any  proposals  to  them,  or  had  digested  the 
plan  to  be  laid  before  Congress,  we  received  a  letter  from  the 
Secret  Committee  in  answer  to  one  before  wrote  them  on  the 
subject,  that  it  was  uncertain  what  vacant  lands  there  were  in 
America,  or  whether  there  were  any,  or  words  to  that  purpose. 
Previous  to  the  receipt  of  this  letter  we  had  a  prospect  of  a 
loan,  having  laid  proposals  (see  No.  5),  before  many  capital 
houses  and  bankers ;  but  on  this  we  now  dare  venture  no  further, 
and  we  set  ourselves  to  do  the  best  in  our  power  with  the 
money  in  hand,  amounting  at  that  time  to  little  more  than 
fifteen  hundred  thousand  livres,  or  about  sixty-five  thousand 
pounds  sterling. 

A  contract  was  made  by  Dr.  Franklin  and  myself,  Mr.  Lee 
being  absent,  with  Messrs.  Holker,  Sabattier,  fils,  and  Despriez, 
for  ten  thousand  suits  of  clothes,  afterwards  increased  to  fifteen 
thousand,  and  for  fifteen  thousand  pair  of  stockings,  &c. 

A  contract  with  Monsieur  Monthieu  for  ten  thousand  suits 
and  some  lesser  articles. 

With  Mr.  Williams  for  ten  thousand  suits,  a  number  of  shirts, 
shoes,  &c.;  and  finding  no  proper  vessels  to  be  chartered  on 
good  terms,  a  frigate  mounting  thirty-two  carriage  guns,  since 
commanded  by  Captain  Nicholson,  was  contracted  for,  and  a 
large  ship  commanded  by  Captain  Greene  purchased,  both 
which  arrived  safely  in  America  with  their  cargoes. 

A  contract  also  with  Monsieur  Coder  for  about  fifteen  hun 
dred  suits,  besides  lesser  purchases  of  shoes  and  other  articles. 

Mr.  A.  Lee  was  present  at  the  making  of  part  of  these  con 
tracts  or  purchases;  the  more  capital  ones  were  made  during 
his  absence  in  Spain,  and  afterwards  in  Germany  and  Prussia. 

Knowing  how  much  these  articles  were  wanted,  and  flattering 
ourselves  that  we  should  receive  remittances  in  the  course  of 
the  year,  we  ventured  to  engage  far  beyond  our  capital  in  hand. 


46  MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE. 

Our  expenses  for  the  relief  of  Americans  escaping  from  prison 
in  England,  and  for  other  contingencies,  increased  daily  on  us. 

Mr.  Lee  went  no  further  than  Burgos,  the  Court  of  Madrid 
having  been,  as  it  was  said,  advertised  of  his  coming  and  errand, 
through  his  indiscretion  in  communicating  it  to  many,  and 
fearing  the  consequences,  sent  and  stopped  him  there,  where 
the  minister  met  him.  As  he  has  sent  an  account  of  his  nego 
tiations  to  Congress,  I  refer  to  that,  and  need  only  say  here, 
that  besides  the  supplies  which  he  procured  to  be  shipped  by 
the  house  of  Gardoqui  &  Fures  at  Bilboa,  to  Boston,  about  two 
hundred  thousand  livres  were  remitted  to  Paris,  which  Mr.  Lee, 
on  receiving  his  commission  for  Madrid,  took  the  direction  of, 
and  the  Commissioners  at  Paris  were  never  permitted  to  make 
any  use  of  it  towards  discharging  the  contracts  they  had  made 
in  France. 

Soon  after  Mr.  Lee's  return,  he  was  made  acquainted  with 
what  had  been  done  in  his  absence.  Mr.  Holker,  who  had  the 
management  and  direction  of  the  principal  contract,  waited  on 
Mr.  Lee,  to  inform  him  of  the  fashion  in  which  he  proposed  the 
coats  should  be  made,  and  to  consult  him  on  an  improvement 
of  the  lapels  by  continuing  them  quite  down,  so  as  to  join  the 
waistband  of  the  breeches,  which  would  take  about  one-sixth  of 
an  ell  of  cloth  and  four  buttons  more  than  the  usual  fashion; 
but  that  it  would  guard  the  body  from  the  cold  in  the  most 
tender  part  of  it,  &c. 

Mr.  Holker  and  the  gentlemen  with  him  met  with  the  most 
disgusting  reception ;  everything  was  by  Mr.  Lee  found  fault 
with.  Mr.  Holker  very  patiently  heard  him,  and  pertinently 
answered  his  several  objections:  that  as  to  the  improvement  on 
the  lapels,  it  was  so  great,  and  the  expense  so  very  trifling, 
that  sooner  than  give  it  up,  he  would  even  be  content  to  throw 
the  extra  expense  out  of  his  account.  To  which  Mr.  Lee  re 
plied,  that  if  he  did,  he  had  still  an  objection  that  could  not  be 
got  over,  it  was  the  additional  weight  of  the  four  buttons  and 
one-sixth  of  cloth,  which  must  help  to  fatigue  the  soldier  in  his 


MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE.  47 

marching.  Mr.  Holker  and  the  other  gentlemen  at  this  lost  all 
patience,  and  refused  ever  after  to  have  anything  to  do  with 
him,  as  did  almost  every  other  person  with  whom  we  had 
formed  any  connections.  I  mention  this,  though  a  trifling 
circumstance  in  itself,  to  show  the  character  of  Mr.  Lee  as  to 
business  in  the  commercial  way,  and  the  necessity  I  was  under 
of  taking  in  a  manner  the  whole  executive  part  on  myself, 
which  I  constantly  proceeded  in  with  the  advice  and  approba 
tion  of  Dr.  Franklin,  and  also  on  account  of  Mr.  Lee's  having 
since,  in  his  letter  to  Congress,  peremptorily  declared  that  he 
never  was  made  acquainted  with  those  contracts. 

It  is  a  delicate  subject,  but  justice  requires  me  to  say  that  the 
jealous  disposition  of  Mr.  Lee,  which  led  him  to  apprehend  de 
signs  injurious  to  him  in  every  one  he  dealt  with,  and  the  liber 
ties  he  took  in  expressing  himself  on  that  and  other  subjects, 
gave  a  general  disgust,  and  often  proved  prejudicial  to  our 
affairs. 

After  Mr.  Lee's  return  from  Spain,  I  proposed  to  go  to  Hol 
land,  where  I  had  previously,  and  from  the  first  of  my  being  in 
France,  established  a  correspondence,  and  thence  northward,  in 
hopes  of  doing  something  towards  obtaining -a  loan  and  other 
supplies,  but  the  situation  of  affairs  would  not  admit  of  my 
leaving  Paris.  Mr.  Lee  undertook  the  journey," and  at  Berlin 
had  the  misfortune  to  have  his  papers  stolen,  of  which,  with 
other  transactions  during  his  journey,  he  has,  I  presume,  in 
formed  Congress. 

Some  time  in  February,  or  early  in  March,  1777,  I  received 
in  a  letter  from  Mr.  Eobert  Morris  information  that  Mr.  William 
Lee,  then  in  London,  was  appointed  commercial  agent  jointly 
with  Mr.  Thomas  Morris,  then  at  Nantes.  I  informed  Mr.  Lee 
of  the  intelligence  I  had  received  by  the  post,  but  received  no 
answer;  and  he  arrived  in  Paris  some  time  in  June. 

During  the  absence  of  Mr.  Arthur  Lee  at  Berlin,  he  tarried 
until  his  return,  and  soon  after  went  to  Nantes. 

The  commercial  affairs  of  the  Congress  were  then   greatly 


48  MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE. 

deranged,  and  Mr.  William  Lee,  as  I  was  informed  by  Mr.  Wil- 
liams's  letters,  by  which  it  appears  that  Mr.  William  Lee  told 
him  that  having  a  considerable  interest  in  London,  and  his 
family  still  there,  he  chose  for  the  present  not  to  act,  or  be 
known  publicly  in  American  affairs,  contenting  himself  with 
only  joining  with  Mr.  T.  Morris  in  complaining,  in  a  letter  to 
the  Commissioners,  of  their  appointing  Mr.  Williams  to  take 
charge  of  the  prizes  sent  into  Nantes  by  the  Continental  ves 
sels  ;  and  soon  after  receiving  a  commission  for  the  Court  of 
Vienna,  and  a  commission  for  the  Court  of  Berlin,  he  returned 
to  Paris,  and  again  complained  of  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Wil 
liams,  and  of  the  irregularities  of  his  colleague.  What  passed 
in  this  conversation  I  have  already  laid  before  Congress  in  wri 
ting,  in  my  observations  on  Mr.  Izard's  letter,  which  I  shall 
beg  leave  to  read  (No.  6). 

Mr.  William  Lee  continued  at  Paris  until  some  time  in 
March,  except  going  to  Nantes  to  take  possession  of  the  late 
Mr.  Thomas  Morris's  papers.  In  February,  the  Commissioners 
paid  to  him  and  Ealph  Izard,  Esq.,  who  had  been  appointed 
commissioner  to  the  Court  of  Tuscany,  forty-eight  thousand 
livres  or  two  thousand  louis  d'ors  each  to  enable  them  to  pro 
ceed  to  execute  their  respective  commissions. 

Mr.  W.  Lee  made  several  complaints  respecting  Mr.  Wil 
liams  having  the  care  of  the  prizes  sent  into  Nantes,  and  of  the 
Continental  ships  of  war  which  arrived,  being  addressed  to  him, 
to  which  he  was  answered  that  we  had  conceived  the  appoint 
ment  came  within  our  power  and  instructions;  that  everything 
was  in  disorder  at  Nantes  when  he  was  appointed,  and  if  he, 
Mr.  W.  Lee,  had  been  there  himself,  and  acting  as  commercial 
agent,  the  appointment  would  not  have  been  made;  that  Mr. 
Williams  had  served  the  public  ably  and  faithfully ;  but  that 
as  he  had  much  other  business  on  hand,  there  was  no  objection 
to  his  giving  up  that  part ;  but  a  difference  arising  between  the 
Commissioners  on  a  letter  proposed  to  be  sent,  no  order  was 
given  (No.  7). 


MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE.  49 

Mr.  W.  Lee  being  about  to  set  out  for  Vienna,  appointed 
deputies  under  him  in  the  commercial  department  in  different 
ports.  Mr.  Williams  wrote  me  that  although  he  had  hitherto 
done  the  business  at  a  moderate  rate,  with  the  view  of  serving 
his  country,  he  could  by  no  means  accept  of  Mr.  W.  Lee's  offer 
of  dividing  the  commissions  with  him,  but  would  sooner 
resign  the  business  entirely.  I  confess,  the  thought  of  losing 
so  able,  faithful,  and  active  a  person,  and  one  who  had  rendered 
himself  agreeable  to  the  citizens  and  merchants  of  France,  hurt 
me,  but  I  could  not  as  his  friend  advise  him  to  submit  to  such 
ignominious  conditions  as  those  proposed  to  him.  Mr.  Wil- 
liams's  letter  before  Congress,  which  I  shall  beg  leave  to  read, 
will  show  his  way  of  thinking,  and  the  treatment  he  has  met 
with.  (No.  7.)  To  return  a  little  in  my  narrative : — 

By  the  month  of  August,  1777,  all  the  stores  M.  Beaumar- 
chais  had  procured  were  shipped,  except  those  at  Marseilles, 
where  a  ship  had  been  in  readiness  to  receive  ^them  from  the 
month  of  December  preceding ;  taking  advantage  at  this  time 
of  some  favorable  circumstances,  M.  Beaumarchais  found  an 
opportunity  of  shipping  them. 

M.  Monthieu,  from  whom  the  ship  had  been  originally  char 
tered,  represented  that  the  whole  of  his  freight  had  not  been 
paid  him  for  the  ships  already  sent  out.  That  one  had  been 
taken,  and  the  other  detained  in  America,  for  which  he  ought 
to  be  allowed ;  that  the  ship  then  at  Marseilles,  chartered  by  the 
ton,  had  been  long  on  expense  to.  him.  I  consulted  with  Dr. 
Franklin,  and  we  agreed  that  Monsieur  Chaumont  should  settle 
the  allowance  that  should  be  made  him  on  his  return  from 
Marseilles ;  on  which  he  set  out  and  dispatched  the  ship,  which 
fortunately  arrived  at  Portsmouth.  After  the  return  of  Mon 
sieur  Monthieu,  M.  Chaumont  declined  meddling  at  first,  on  ac 
count  of  the  difficulty  he  said  there  was  in  doing  any  business 
with  Mr.  Lee,  and  as  M.  Monthieu's  contract  for  clothing  was 
not  completed,  a  settlement  was  put  off,  that  the  whole  concern 
with  him  might  be  finished  together. 
7 


50  MK.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE. 

In  September,  1777,  I  laid  before  my  colleagues  a  general 
state  of  our  expenditures  and  engagements,  by  which  it  ap 
peared  that  they  far  exceeded  our  funds ;  and  no  remittances 
from  America,  but  on  the  contrary  bills  were  drawn  on  us  from 
thence  by  order  of  Congress  for  large  sums ;  we  were  greatly 
embarrassed ;  the  most  unfavorable  intelligence  arriving  at  the 
same  time  from  America,  we  were  wellnigh  discouraged.  It 
was  proposed,  even  by  Dr.  Franklin,  that  we  should  dispose  of  a 
part  of  the  clothing  provided,  and  of  the  ships  engaged,  to  ex 
tricate  our  affairs. 

To  avoid  so  desperate  a  step,  fresh  applications  were  made ; 
and  the  Court  going  to  Fontainbleau,  I  went  there  repeatedly  in 
the  most  private  manner,  and  in  the  end  Monsieur  Grand  was 
authorized  to  supply  us  with  three  millions  of  livres,  in  four 
equal  or  quarterly  payments  for  the  year  1778.  This  enabled 
the  Commissioners  to  go  on  with  the  supplies  contracted  for ; 
though  by  the  appearance  which  our  affairs  then  took,  and  the 
unfavorable  intelligence  from  America,  we  were  still  greatly 
embarrassed. 

During  the  summer,  1777,  previous  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
situation  and  success  of  the  affairs  in  America  arriving  in 
Europe,  distant  hints  were  given  by  the  friends  of  administra 
tion  in  England  about  an  accommodation,  and  Dr.  Berkenhout, 
who  Mr.  Lee  informed  us  was  in  the  confidence  of  Lord  North, 
went  so  far  as  to  correspond  with  Mr.  A.  Lee  on  the  subject, 
and  to  propose  a  meeting  with  him ;  but  suggested,  that  as  it 
was  reported  that  there  was  not  a  good  understanding  between 
the  Commissioners,  it  would  be  to  little  or  no  purpose.  Mr. 
Lee  was  authorized  to  say  to  him,  that  we  knew  of  no  differ 
ence  subsisting  between  us  that  ought  to  prevent  any  proposi 
tions  being  made  to  him  for  the  public  good. 

Soon  after  this,  the  news"  arrived  of  the  success  of  General 
Burgoyne  to  the  northward  at  Ticonderoga,  &c.,  and  of  the  ex 
pedition  of  General  Howe. 


MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE.  51 

I  heard  no  more  of  Dr.  Berkenhout  until  his  imprisonment 
in  this  city. 

The  assurances  of  the  three  millions  before  mentioned,  ena 
bled  us  to* go  on  with  the  supplies;  but  from  the  extraordinary 
vigilance  of  the  British  emissaries,  and  the  unfavorable  appear 
ance  of  the  affairs  of  these  States  at  that  time,  and  previous  to 
the  receiving  of  the  news  of  General  Burgoyne's  surrender,  we 
proceeded  with  the  utmost  caution  and  secrecy. 

The  ship,  building  in  Holland,  had  from  the  first  been  carried 
on  under  the  name  of  another  person ;  yet  from  the  intelligence 
published  in  London,  soon  after  the  loss  of  Mr.  Lee's  papers  at 
Berlin,  we  found  that  this  transaction  as  well  as  some  others 
had  transpired,  and  that  it  would  not  be  in  our  power  to  get 
the  ship  to  sea,  without  great  and  inevitable  risk  of  a  capture. 
In  France,  the  frigate  and  other  business  carrying  on  at  Nantes 
we  were  obliged  to  conceal  under  other  names,  notwithstanding 
which,  we  met  with  many,  and  to  appearance,  insuperable  ob 
stacles,  which  rose  in  succession  until  some  time  in  the  winter 
following. 

In  November,  the  Amphitrite  returned  with  a  cargo  of  rice, 
and  a  trifle  of  indigo,  after  having  been  near  twelve  months 
detained,  from  her  first  being  taken  into  the  service  of  these 
States.  This  cargo,  and  one  of  lumber  and  spars,  shipped  in  the 
Morcure  from  Portsmouth,  were  to  this  time  the  only  remit 
tances  made  for  the  stores  shipped  out  by  Monsieur  Beaumar- 
chais.  The  captain,  I  have  already  mentioned,  was  imprisoned 
for  breach  of  his  engagements,  and  the  Commissioners  pro 
posing  to  apply  the  proceeds  of  the  cargo  of  the  Amphitrite  to 
the  demands  then  upon  them,  M.  Beaumarchais  represented 
that  the  large  sums  he  had  advanced  had  exhausted  his  re 
sources  and  those  of  his  friends,  and  the  want  of  remittances 
had  discouraged  them.  And  that  if  he  was  deprived  of  a  cargo, 
which  would  little  more  than  pay  the  hire  and  expenses  of  the 
ship,  his  affairs  would  become  truly  desperate,  as  he  should 


52  MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE. 

then  liave  no  hopes  of  anything.     The  Commissioners  delivered 
him  the  cargo. 

Several  persons  had  reported  to  the  Commissioners  that  the 
cannon  and  warlike  stores  shipped  by  him  would  be  taken  on 
[account  of]  the  ministry.  They  reported  this  as  coming  from 
the  minister;  but  on  application,  which  I  several  times  made 
in  person,  I  never  obtained  any  such  assurance,  or  even  en 
couragement  from  them.  On  the  last  application  I  made,  I  was 
told  that  the  Congress  would  do  well  to  make  remittances  as 
fast  as  they  could,  according  to  my  engagements  with  him,  and 
that  it  would  be  best  to  have  the  account  finally  settled  in 
France.  To  this  purpose  the  Commissioners,  on  my  reporting 
to  them,  wrote  to  the  Secret  Committee. 

Dr.  Bancroft  having  been  involved  in  the  suspicion  of  being 
privy  to  the  firing  the  stores  at  Portsmouth,  and  finding  him 
self  growing  obnoxious  to  the  administration  and  their  parti 
sans  in  London,  left  England  early  in  the  year  1777,  and  came 
to  Paris,  where  he  most  assiduously  devoted  his  time  and  abili 
ties  to  the  service  of  his*  country,  and  assisted  the  Commission 
ers  in  writing  for  them,  and  by  keeping  up  a  correspondence 
with  his  friends  in  London,  from  whom  good  and  useful  intelli 
gence  was  obtained. 

In  December,  Mr.  Austin  arrived  from  Boston  with  the  re 
viving  and  important  news  of  the  surrender  of  General  Bur- 
goyne  and  his  army.  This  was,  if  I  may  so  say,  like  a  sovereign 
cordial  to  the  dying.  It  roused  and  reanimated  the  friends  of 
America  in  every  part  of  Europe. 

Soon  after  the  receipt  of  this  intelligence,  the  Commissioners 
sent  one  Mr.  Thornton,  a  person  who  had  been  introduced  to 
Dr.  Franklin,  to  London,  with  money  for  the  American  prison 
ers.  After  his  return,  he  was  employed  by  Mr.  A.  Lee  as  his 
secretary,  and  was  afterwards  sent  by  him  to  London  and 
Nantes,  on  affairs  which  the  other  Commissioners  were  not 
acquainted  with.  The  more  I  knew  and  heard  of  this  man,  the 
more  I  found  him,  at  least,  to  be  imprudent. 


MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE.  53 

'  The  interview  with  his  Excellency,  Monsieur  Gerard,  on  the 
16th  of  December,  and  what  then  passed,  have  been  fully  re 
lated  to  Congress  in  the  dispatches  sent  out  by  Mr.  Simeon 
Deane  and  Captain  Courter. 

The  jealous  and  uneasy  disposition  of  Mr.  A.  Lee,  which  had 
from  the  first  given  Dr.  Franklin  and  myself  much  trouble,  had 
been  constantly  increasing;  and  the  dissatisfaction  with,  and 
contempt  of,  the  French  nation  in  general,  which  he  took  no 
pains  to  conceal,  often  gave  us  pain,  and  rendered  himself  sus 
pected  by  many. 

Soon  after  the  arrival  of  the  news  of  General  Burgoyne's 
defeat,  applications  were,  by  various  ways,  made  to  Dr.  Frank 
lin  and  myself,  separately,  and  in  a  secret  manner,  by  the  British 
emissaries,  to  agree  to  an  accommodation,  and  flattering  pro 
posals  made,  with  which  we  acquainted  each  other,  and  after 
wards  communicated  them  to  the  minister. 

Mr.  Lee  now  indulged  his  natural  disposition  so  far  that  my 
colleague,  Dr.  Franklin,  was  of  opinion  that  his  head  was  af 
fected.  However  that  might  be,  after  every  article  of  the 
treaties  were  agreed  to  between  his  Excellency,  Monsieur 
Gerard  and  the  Commissioners,  and  whilst  they  were  engross 
ing  to  be  signed,  Mr.  Lee  expressed  great  uneasiness,  and  inti 
mated  to  Dr.  Franklin  and  myself  that  he  could  not  sign  them 
unless  altered  in  the  eleventh  and  twelfth  Articles ;  on  which 
we  referred  him  to  Monsieur  Gerard,  who,  he  told  us  had  satis 
fied  him  on  the  subject,  and  in  consequence  thereof  he  signed 
the  treaty  jointly  with  us  on  the  6th  of  February,  at  my  house 
in  Paris ;  and  an  engagement  was  given  on  each  side  that  the 
transaction  should  be  kept  a  secret. 

The  frigate  sent  out  with  the  dispatches,  by  Mr.  Simeon 
Deane,  meeting  with  an  accident  at  sea,  returned  into  port  soon 
after  the  signing  of  the  treaties,  and'  a  second  was  immediately 
dispatched,  in  which  he  embarked  with  copies  of  them. 

In  the  month  of  February,  Mr.  Fox  declared,  in  the  House  of 
Commons,  that  the  treaties  were  executed,  and  named  the  day. 


54:  MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE. 

This  caused  many  speculations  and  suspicions,  which,  whether 
well  or  ill  founded,  were  attended  with  no  material  ill  conse 
quence  at  the  time,  as  the  treaties  were  soon  after  publicly 
announced  to  the  Court  of  London  by  the  ambassador  of 
France. 

I  had  never  any  correspondence  in  London  previous  to  my 
first  going  to  Europe,  nor  afterwards,  except  with  Mr.  Arthur 
Lee,  Mr.  William  Lee,  Dr.  Bancroft,  and  with  one  or  two 
Americans  accidentally  there  on  business.  M.  Petry,  a  gentle 
man  of  character,  indeed,  showed  me  a  letter  from  his  friend  in 
London,  in  which  he  sent  him  an  extract  of  a  letter  he  had 
received  from  Mr.  Lee,  dated  the  6th  of  February,  the  day  the 
treaty  was  signed,  to  him  in  London,  informing  him  generally 
of  the  event  which  had  taken  place.  I  mention  this,  as  some 
pains  have  been  taken  to  represent  as  if  this  intelligence  was 
given  by  Dr.  Franklin  or  myself. 

To  expedite  the  recovery  of  the  two  Jamaica  prizes  detained 
at  Nantes,  Mr.  Carmichael,  who  was  coming  out  to  America, 
went  down  to  Nantes,  and  it  was  agreed  to  send  our  dispatches 
after  him.  When  they  were  ready,  Mr.  A.  Lee  insisted  that  they 
should  not  be  sent  by  him,  but  by  a  Mr.  Stephenson,  who  had 
just  come  to  Paris  from  London.  Dr.  Franklin  and  myself  in 
sisted  upon  sending  them  by  Mr.  Carmichael.  Mr.  Lee  urged 
his  suspicions  of  Mr.  Carmichael,  founded  on  the  affair  of  the 
Dictionary,  of  which  I  had  heard  nothing  from  the  first  transac 
tion  to  that  moment.  This  appeared  the  more  extraordinary, 
as  the  Dictionary  had  been,  for  some  time  after  Mr.  Lee's  being 
in  Paris,  in  common  use  on  my  table  as  a  Dictionary,  and  he 
had  never  mentioned  anything  to  either  Dr.  Franklin  or  myself 
about  it  until  that  time.  A  dispute  arose  thereon,  needless  to 
be  related,  and  Dr.  Franklin  and  myself  sent  out  the  dispatches 
as  we  had  first  agreed,  by  Mr.  Carmichael.  Mr.  A.  Lee,  Mr. 
W.  Lee,  and  Mr.  Izard  sent  theirs  by  Mr.  Stephenson. 

The  first  great  object  of  our  labors  and  wishes  being  now 
obtained  in  the  treaties,  I  set  myself  to  complete  what  I  con- 


MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE.  55 

sidered  as  the  secondary,  that  of  obtaining  a  loan  in  Holland 
for  these  States.  I  had  previously  corresponded  and  made 
interest  with  some  of  the  principal  houses  in  Holland  on  the 
subject,  and  was  assured  of  the  credit  and  assistance  of  some 
persons  of  high  rank  in  France. 

The  stores  and  clothing  were  then  nearly  all  shipped,  and  ar 
rangements  taken  for  the  payment  as  the  accounts  should  be 
brought  in  and  the  money  become  due.  As  it  would  take  two 
or  three  months  to  have  the  several  accounts  collected,  I  pro 
posed  the  spending  that  time  in  Holland  on  this  negotiation, 
when,  on  the  4th  of  March,  I  received  a  letter  from  the  Hon. 
Mr.  Lovel,  with  the  order  of  Congress  of  the  8th  of  December, 
1777  (No.  10).  I  communicated  this  letter  to  Dr.  Franklin, 
who  was  of  opinion  that  though  the  dispatches  sent  out  by  Mr. 
Simeon  Deane  and  by  Captain  Courter  would  give  the  state  of 
affairs  in  Europe  to  Congress,  yet  as  we  had  received  no  letters 
from  Congress  for  several  months,  and  as  we  had  proof  of  the 
intrigues  and  artifices  of  the  enemy,  it  was  best  for  me,  not 
withstanding  the  unsettled  state  of  the  public  accounts,  to  re 
turn  ;  'he  urged  that  my  detention  in  America  could  not  be  for 
any  time,  and  that,  accidents  excepted,  I  might  be  back  in 
France  in  season  for  their  final  settlement. 

Having  taken  his  advice  I  waited  on  the  minister,  acquainted 
him  with  my  recall.  I  found  him  uneasy  on  account  of  some 
reports  that  were  circulating,  and  particularly  so  on  the  report 
of  the  appointment  and  going  out  of  the  Commissioners  for 
America,  an  event  which  soon  after  took  place.  He  told  me 
that  a  frigate,  or  even  a  ship  of  the  line  should  be  instantly 
ready  to  go  out  with  me,  and  that,  with  respect  to  the  affairs  in 
France,  which  I  must  necessarily  leave  unsettled,  they  would 
not  probably  suffer  in  my  absence.  Finding  it  a  favorable  occa 
sion,  I  took  the  liberty,  as  an  individual,  to  urge  an  immediate 
declaration  of  the  treaties  to  the  Court  of  London,  and  the 
sending  out  of  a  strong  squadron,  then  nearly  ready  at  Toulon. 
After  several  interviews  on  the  subject,  the  measure  was 


56  MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE. 

adopted,  and  I  engaged  that  the  affair  should  be  a  secret  on  my 
part  to  all,  except  Dr.  Franklin  and  Dr.  Bancroft,  with  whom 
my  situation  was  such  that  it  could  not  be  concealed  from 
them ;  to  the  former  it  was  told  by  orders  from  the  minister. 
I  had  to  induce  the  minister  to  order  the  fleet  direct  to  the 
Delaware,  laid  before  him  the  great  certainty  of  the  success,  as 
well  as  urged  the  greatness  of  the  object.  I  also  informed  him 
that  I  could  procure  four  brave  and  skilful  American  captains, 
acquainted  with  the  American  coast,  to  embark  in  the  fleet  with 
me,  which  I  was  desired  to  do,  and  I  engaged  Captain  All, 
Captains  H.  and  E.  Johnson,  and  Captain  Nicholson,  and  pre 
sented  them  to  the  minister. 

On  the  19th  of  March  the  Commissioners  were  publicly  pre 
sented  to  the  king,  and  on  the  night  of  the  31st  I  secretly  left 
Paris  with  the  four  gentlemen  above  mentioned,  having  pre 
viously  agreed  with  Monsieur  Gerard  on  the  different  routes  we 
should  take,  and  written  such  letters  and  taken  such  measures 
as  would  most  probably  cover  our  real  designs. 

Previous  to  my  setting  out,  I  obtained  of  M.  Grand,  our 
banker,  an  account  of  all  the  moneys  received  or  paid  out  on 
the  public  account,  which  I  brought  with  me,  and  which  has 
been  for  some  time  before  Congress;  which  account  must, 
nevertheless,  be  liable  to  be  misunderstood  without  my  per 
sonal  presence,  complicated,  extensive,  and  unsettled  as  they 
naturally  were.  Duplicates  were  also  given  to  Dr.  Franklin 
and  Mr.  Lee,  and  I  left  with  the  former  what  public  papers 
were  in  my  hands  and  an  explanation  of  the  account.  It  was 
all  that  the  little  time  I  had  would  permit  me  to  do,  the  greater 
part  of  the  accounts  being  then  unsettled,  without  which,  no 
general  account  could  be  made,  and  the  order  for  my  recall  and 
Mr.  Level's  letter,  which  were  all  the  information  I  received  of 
the  motives  for  my  recall,  giving  me  to  understand  that  the 
desire  of  Congress  pointed  to  an  information  of  the  state  of 
affairs  in  Europe,  I  by  no  means  conceived  that  I  was  so  sud 
denly  called  upon  to  render  in  an  exact  state  of  an  account 


MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE.  57 

which  demanded  necessarily  a  much  longer  time  to  complete 
than  was  allowed  me  by  the  terms  of  the  recall;  nor,  in  addition 
to  this,  could  I  possibly  conceive  that  the  nature  of  the  recall 
was  such  as  to  require  of  me,  individually,  an  account  of  the 
joint  transactions  in  money  matters  of  myself  and  colleagues. 
My  other  papers  I  lodged  in  a  place  of  safety. 

I  ought  to  mention  that  copies  of  the  correspondence  of  the 
Commissioners  on  political  subjects,  and  other  papers  of  a  poli 
tical  nature,  had  been  kept  by  Dr.  Franklin  from  his  first  arrival. 
Living  with  him  in  the  same  house,  I  had  not  the  necessity  of 
copies  of  them,  which  prevents  at  this  time  my  being  so  exact 
as  I  wish,  as  to  dates,  and  has  occasioned  a  longer  time  in 
reducing  my  narrative  to  writing. 

I  fell  in  with  M.  Gerard  on  my  way  to  Toulon,  and  we  em 
barked  together,  happy  in  the  great  prospects  before  us.  I 
arrived  in  this  city  on  the  12th  of  July  last. 

On  the  review  of  this  general  narrative,  it  will  be  found  that 
at  different  periods  I  have  acted  in  three  different  characters. 

From  my  leaving  America  to  the  arrival  of  Dr.  Franklin  and 
Mr.  Lee,  I  acted  as  the  sole  political  and  commercial  agent  un 
der  Congress ;  from  their  arrival  to  my  recall,  as  joint  Commis 
sioner  with  them  to  the  Court  of  Versailles  only,  and  at  the 
same  time  in  carrying  into  execution  my  former  engagements; 
and  from  that  time  to  my  sailing  for  America,  as  an  individual 
desirous  of  improving  every  opportunity  of  being  useful;  in 
which  last  capacity,  I  had  the  happiness  to  induce  the  Court  of 
France  to  order  the  Count  d'Bstaing's  fleet  to  America. 

Just  before  my  setting  out,  I  received  a  letter  from  his  Excel 
lency  the  Count  de  Yergennes  to  me,  with  an  honorable  token 
from  his  Majesty  of  his  approbation  of  my  conduct  whilst  in 
France.  I  was  honored  with  one  at  the  same  time  for  the 
President  of  Congress,  and  my  venerable  friend  and  late  col 
league  at  parting  put  one  into  my  hand.  I  also  received  one 


58  MK.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE. 

from  him  at  Toulon,  which  letters  I  will  take  the  liberty  of 
reading  at  the  close  of  my  narrative. 

Having  been  perhaps  tedious  already,  I  will  not  take  up 
more  of  the  time  of  Congress  by  making  those  observations 
which  I  at  first  intended,  on  my  situation  and  conduct  at  dif 
ferent  periods ;  the  chief  of  them  are  obvious  to  every  one.  I 
need  only  say  that  in  my  first  and  last  characters  I  took  the 
best  advice  I  could  obtain,  and  acted  as  I  judged  was  for  the 
greatest  advantage  to  these  States,  consistently  with  my  instruc 
tions  and  powers. 

In  the  second,  I  acted  jointly  with  one  or  both  of  my  col 
leagues  ;  and  though,  as  I  have  before  said,  and  it  is  well  known 
in  Europe,  as  well  as  in  America,  that  the  executive  part  of  the 
business  lay  on  me,  I  never  undertook  anything  without  the 
advice  and  approbation  of  at  least  one  of  my  colleagues.  I  can 
but  observe  that  Mr.  A.  Lee  and  Mr.  Izard,  with  the  latter  of 
whom  I  never  transacted  any  business  whatever,  appear  sensi 
ble  of  this,  and  have  therefore  joined  Dr.  Franklin  and  myself 
together  in  the  illiberal  and  injurious  letters  they  have  written 
to  Congress  since  my  departure  from  France,  which,  with  my 
observations  on  them  I  take  the  liberty  to  read  (Nos.  9,  11). 

I  confess  I  feel  a  pride  in  having  my  name  joined  with  so 
great  a  patriot  and  so  venerable  a  character,  and  am  content 
that  the  present  age  and  posterity  should  be  informed  that  Mr. 
Lee  and  Mr.  Tzard  complained  of  me,  if  at  the  same  time  it  be 
known  that  a  Franklin  was  my  guide,  philosopher,  and  friend. 

It  is  now  three  years  since  my  engaging  in  the  foreign  affairs 
of  Congress ;  near  four  since  I  have  visited  my  family,  or  at 
tended  to  my  private  concerns,  but  from  the  moment  I  engaged 
I  put  everything  private  out  of  the  question.  And  the  anxiety 
I  have  suffered,  and  the  impatience  I  have  expressed  under  the 
delays  I  have  met  with,  have  arisen  from  the  situation  of  the 
affairs  and  interest  of  these  States,  more  particularly  in  Europe. 

It  is  now  eight  months  since  I  left  France,  and  more  than 
five  that  I  have  been  in  this  city.  The  letters  that  I  have  had 


MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE.  59 

the  honor  of  writing  to  Congress,  and  the  observations  I  have 
taken  the  liberty  of  making  on  some  important  subjects,  are 
before  this  honorable  House ;  they  will  at  least  show  my  uni 
form  and  constant  wish  to  render  my  country  every  service  in 
my  power. 

The  unsettled  state  of  the  affairs  I  had  the  honor  of  being 
concerned  in  transacting  in  Europe,  either  by  myself,  or  jointly 
with  my  colleagues,  have  long  pressed  for  my  return. 

I  confess  that  the  great  and  important  crisis  to  which  the 
politics  of  Europe  are  now  arrived,  have  lain  with  still  greater 
weight  on  my  mind,  as  I  see  the  present  peace  and  tranquillity 
of  these  States  so  nearly  connected  with,  and  dependent  on  the 
events  they  may  produce,  and  that  soon.  I  presume  the  pre 
sent  state  of  affairs  in  Europe  is  better  known  to  Congress 
than  to  me ;  yet  from  comparing  the  present  appearances  which 
they  put  on  with  what  I  knew  them  to  be  last  winter,  and  from 
the  knowledge  I  had  an  opportunity  of  acquiring  whilst  in 
France,  I  am  fully  convinced  that  Great  Britain  is  exerting  her 
whole  influence,  both  in  Europe  and  America,  to  draw  off  these 
States  from  their  alliance  with  France,  or  to  render  it  ineffectual ; 
and  that  the  British  ministry,  besides  their  usual  practices  of 
attempting  to  negotiate  secretly  with  individuals,  will  avail 
themselves  of  every  advantage  which  the  present  prospect  and 
apprehensions  of  a  general  war  in  Europe,  may  possibly  afford 
to  bring  about  this  favorite  object  of  theirs;  in  short,  that  no 
period  in  the  history  of  these  States  was  ever  more  critical  and 
important  than  the  present,  nor  any  one  for  ages  past  more  so 
in  Europe,  since  on  the  issue  of  the  negotiations  of  the  mighty 
powers  now  in  arms,  the  peace  and  tranquillity  of  more  than 
half  the  world  depend. 

From  the  secret  attempts  made  to  negotiate  with  me  in 
France  just  before  the  treaties  were  signed,  and  with  Dr.  Frank 
lin  afterwards,  I  was  very  apprehensive  of  the  dangerous  designs 
of  Dr.  Berkenhout ;  when  I  heard  of  his  being  in  prison  in  this 
city,  which  was  the  first  knowledge  I  had  of  his  being  in  Ame- 


60  MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE. 

rica,  and  when  I  heard  of  his  return  to  New  York,  I  was  sur 
prised,  and  concluded  that  some  public  inquiry  had  been  made, 
the  result  of  which  had  satisfied  those  who  ordered  him  to  be 
apprehended;  but  confident  on  my  part  that  his  designs  were 
prejudicial  to  these  States,  I  did  what  lay  in  my  power  as  an 
individual  to  detect  them,  and  to  put  my  countrymen  on  their 
guard.  The  Dr.,  on  his  landing  at  Staten  Island,  threw  off  the 
mask,  and  freely  declared  that  he  had  effected  the  business  of 
his  journey,  or,  as  he  said,  had  got  what  he  came  for ;  that  he 
had  been  assured  that  those  States  were  at  liberty  to  make 
peace  without  consulting  their  ally.  He  showed  letters  which 
he  had  carried  from  hence,  and  among  others  one  for  Governor 
Johnstone,  one  of  the  British  Commissioners,  whom  he  advised 
to  obtain  a  release  of  Colonel  Connolly  from  prison,  and  to  send 
him  to  join  Colonel  Butler  to  lay  waste  our  frontiers,  to  effect 
which,  should  it  be  refused,  he  advised  them  to  recall  all  pri 
soners  out  on  parole ;  but,  as  several  of  the  honorable  executive 
council  of  this  State  have  seen  and  conversed  with  the  person 
with  whom  the  Dr.  travelled  on  his  journey  to  New  York,  and 
have  been  told  all,  and  more  than  was  communicated  to  me,  I 
need  not  say  more  on  the  subject  than  this,  which  cannot  be 
too  often  repeated :  that,  at  this  time,  these  States  are  in  danger 
from  the  arts,  rather  than  from  the  arms  of  their  enemies. 

In  reducing  the  account  of  my  agency  for  these  States  to 
writing,  I  have  introduced  many  circumstances  and  anecdotes 
into  the  body  of  it  which  I  did  not  mention  at  my  audience  on 
the  21st  of  August,  as  I  then  designed  to  confine  myself  at  first, 
almost  solely  to  those  transactions  and  affairs  which  passed  im 
mediately  through  my  hands,  expecting  to  have  finished  every 
thing  I  thought  worthy  of  laying  before  Congress  in  a  very  few 
days  at  furthest. 

It  always  gave  me  pain  to  think  of  being  laid  under  the  ne 
cessity  of  speaking  of  the  jealous,  uneasy,  and  captious  disposi 
tion  of  my  late  colleague,  Mr.  Lee.  I  evaded  doing  it  as  long 
as  was  in  my  power,  and  have  now  said  much  less  on  the  sub- 


MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE.  61 

ject,  and  of  his  rude  and  disgusting  manner  in  which  he  con 
stantly  spoke  of  the  French  nation,  and  hated  many  of  the 
individuals,  than  what  has  been  often  said  and  wrote  by  Dr. 
Franklin,  to  whom  I  freely  appeal,  and  to  those  gentlemen  who 
had  an  opportunity  of  being  acquainted  with  Mr.  Lee's  style  of 
speaking  and  conducting  on  many  occasions. 

With  respect  to  his  brother,  the  Honorable  William  Lee,  Esq., 
I  think  it  my  duty  to  declare  that  it  was  the  opinion  of  Dr. 
Franklin  and  myself,  from  the  little  concerns  we  had  with  him, 
as  well  as  the  opinion  of  others  who  did  business  with  him,  that 
he  was  by  no  means  calculated  to  gain  the  esteem  and  confi 
dence  either  of  individuals  or  public  bodies,  but  the  reverse, 
from  his  suspicious  turn  of  mind,  total  want  of  confidence  in 
those  whom  he  attempted  to  do  business  with,  and  from  a  dispo 
sition  which  was  penurious  to  an  extreme,  and  which  common 
to  him  with  his  brother,  Mr.  A.  Lee,  often  led  both  the  one  and 
the  other  to  littlenesses,  extremely  disgusting  to  a  gallant  and 
polite  people,  and  in  a  degree  prejudicial  to  the  character  of  the 
country  they  represented. 

I  beg  leave  to  return  to  the  letter  written  by  Mr.  A.  Lee  of 
the  1st  of  June  last,  and  my  observations,  which  I  had  the  honor 
of  writing  to  Congress  the  12th  of  October  last,  on  those  extracts 
of  it  which  were  by  order  communicated  to  me.  I  hope  the 
rather  to  be  indulged  in  this,  as  I  find  that  in  consequence  of 
that  letter  and  other  misrepresentations,  the  part  I  acted  between 
the  4th  of  March,  the  time  I  was  acquainted  with  my  recall, 
and  the  time  of  my  leaving  Paris  on  the  31st,  has,  by  artful 
men,  been  turned  to  my  disadvantage ;  not  that  complaints  have 
been  made  against  what  I  really  did,  which  indeed  is  not  gene 
rally  known ;  but  it  has  been  weakly  insinuated  that  instead  of 
pursuing  the  great  and  important  line  of  conduct  which  I  was 
happily  successful  in,  beyond  even  my  own  expectations,  and 
the  most  sanguine  hopes  of  my  friend  and  late  colleague,  Dr. 
Franklin,  I  ought  to  have  considered  the  order  of  Congress  and 
the  letter  of  the  Honorable  Mr.  Lovel  as  a  summons  to  render 


62  MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE. 

an  account  of  my  private  conduct,  and  to  settle  the  joint  ac 
counts  of  myself  and  colleagues ;  and  consequently  that  it  was 
my  duty  to  collect  all  the  accounts  then  outstanding,  and  the 
vouchers ;  to  have  settled  at  once  up  to  that  time  all  the  con 
cerns  and  engagements  of  myself  and  colleagues,  and  render  on 
my  return  an  exact  and  minute  state  thereof.  I  could  have 
done  this,  it  is  true,  and  to  the  uttermost  farthing,  had  I  thought 
the  pressing  and  urgent  call  of  Congress  on  me  to  inform  them 
of  the  state  of  affairs  in  Europe,  could  be  construed  to  mean  any 
such  thing.  I  did  not  think  so.  Dr.  Franklin  and  the  honor 
able  personages  I  was  acquainted  with,  and  who  honored  rne 
with  their  friendship  and  counsel,  never  dreamed  of  such  a  con 
struction  ;  and  I  have  too  high  an  opinion  of  the  open  and  can 
did  mode  of  the  conduct  of  Congress,  towards  those  they  have 
honored  with  public  confidence  and  employments,  to  harbor  for 
a  moment  the  idea  that  this  was  their  intentions  in  the  order 
they  sent  me. 

From  the  circumstances  of  affairs  in  France,  as  well  as  in 
England,  objects  of  the  greatest  importance  presented  them 
selves. 

The  obtaining  a  public  declaration  to  be  made  of  the  alliance, 
to  that  time  kept  a  secret,  and  such  a  fleet  to  come  out  as  should 
not  only  convince  America  of  the  power,  as  well  as  the  gene 
rosity  of  France,  and  not  only  relieve  this  capital,  but  at  one 
blow  reduce  the  whole  power  of  Britain  in  America;  these 
objects  appeared  to  me  so  great  that  the  obtaining  them  was, 
in  my  view,  sufficient  to  satisfy  the  utmost  of  my  ambition  or 
wishes.  To  this  I  applied  myself,  'and  was  fortunately  success 
ful.  It  is  no  vanity  or  presumption  in  me  to  say  that  it  was, 
next  to  concluding  the  treaties,  the  greatest  and  most  important 
services  that  could,  in  any  circumstances,  be  rendered  to  this 
country,  and  that  the  application  was  made,  and  the  design 
effected  by  myself  solely.  These  are  facts  well  known  and 
acknowledged  even  by  my  enemies. 

The  absolute  necessity  of  secrecy  and  dispatch  after  the  mea- 


MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE.  63 

sures  were  resolved  on,  which  was  not  until  the  10th  of  March, 
left  rue  little  time  for  making  the  most  common  preparations 
for  my  voyage.  It  even  forbid  me  to  bid  adieu  to  my  generous 
and  honorable  patrons  and  friends,  much  less  to  call  in  accounts 
from  the  most  distant  parts  of  the  kingdom,  and  from  Holland; 
yet  what  could  be  done  in  the  time  I  did.  I  obtained  from  the 
banker  an  exact  account  of  all  the  moneys  received  or  paid  out 
on  account  of  these  States,  from  the  first  arrival  of  the  Com 
missioners  to  the  day  of  my  leaving  Paris,  and  sent  a  duplicate 
to  Mr.  Lee.  I  left  with  Dr.  Franklin  another,  and  a  full,  gene 
ral  explanation  of  every  payment  made,  with  such  papers  and 
vouchers  as  I  had  on  hand. 

I  presented  Congress  early  with  a  general,  and  afterwards,  on 
the  12th  of  October,  with  the  particular  accounts  of  the  receipt 
and  payment  of  public  money,  being  a  duplicate  of  the  banker's 
account. 

In  the  course  of  my  observations  on  the  extracts  of  Mr.  A. 
Lee's  letter  of  the  1st  of  June,  I  have  been  so  particular  that  I 
will  now  only  throw  together  certain  facts,  and  afterwards  sub 
mit  all  that  gentleman  has  wrote  to  be  judged  of  by  Congress. 

Mr.  Lee  asserts : — 

1.  "  That  he  cannot  find  any  satisfaction  as  to  the  expendi 
tures  of  public  money,  and  says :  all  we  can  find  is,  that  mil 
lions  have  been  expended,  and  almost  everything  remains  to  be 
paid  for." 

It  has  been  proved  that  Mr.  Lee  had,  when  he  wrote  this 
letter,  an  account  in  his  hands  of  all  the  expenditures  of  public 
money  until  I  left  Paris,  of  the  sums  paid,  and  to  whom. 

2.  That  one  hundred  thousand  livres  had  been  advanced  to 
Mr.  Hodge  for  the  purchase  of  a  vessel  which  cost  but  three 
thousand  pounds  sterling,  or  seventy -two  thousand  livres,  &c. 

The  truth  is,  Mr.  Hodge  did  not  in  the  whole  receive  that 
sum,  and  he  purchased  and  fitted  out  two  vessels  instead  of  one. 

3.  Speaking  of  the  contracts,  he  says :  "  You  will  see  that  my 
name  is  not  to  the  contracts." 


6-i  MK.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE. 

The  fact  is,  he  was  not  in  France  when  the  principal  part  of 
them  were  made. 

4.  He  says  there  was  the  greatest  profusion  and  dissipation 
in  the  purchases. 

The  clothes  are  now  in  use  in  the  army,  and  a  suit  complete 
delivered  on  board  cost  but  thirty -two  or  thirty -three  shillings 
sterling,  and  better  clothes  no  army  was  ever  furnished  with. 

5.  He  says  that  Mr.  Williams  had  received  near  a  million  of 
livres  without  accounting,  &c. 

The  truth  is,  Mr.  Lee  was  privy  to  the  contracts  made  with 
Mr.  Williams,  and  signed  the  orders  for  the  principal  part  of 
the  money  put  into  his  hands  by  the  Commissioners;  and  when 
he  wrote  this  letter,  he  could  not  be  ignorant  that  Mr.  Williams 
was  then  adjusting  his  accounts  for  a  settlement,  which  was 
actually  made,  to  the  satisfaction  of  Dr.  Franklin  and  Mr. 
Adams,  but  a  few  weeks  after.  (See  Mr.  Williams's  letter, 
July  22d,  1778,  No.  18.) 

6.  Mr.  Lee  says,  "that  the  contracts  were  industriously  con 
cealed  from  him,  &c." 

His  dispute  with  Mr.  Holker,  already  mentioned,  the  princi 
pal  contractor,  now  the  honorable  agent  of  France  in  America, 
about  ithe  lapels  and  buttons,  and  his  assisting  personally  to 
settle  those  accounts,  and  afterwards  his  signing  the  bills  for 
the  payment  thereof  himself  (for  the  truth  of  which  I  freely 
appeal  to  Mr.  Holker  and  to  M.  Grand's  account  delivered),  is  a 
sufficient  answer,  though,  as  it  appears  to  be  a  contradiction  to 
his  assertion,  it  hurts  me  to  give  it,  and  would  pain  me  exceed 
ingly,  were  it  not  that  I  a"m  disposed,  from  these  and  like  cir 
cumstances,  to  join  in  sentiment  with  Dr.  Franklin  as  to  his 
unhappy  situation.  I  will  now  leave  him,  and  the  representa 
tions  alluded  to,  to  be  determined  on  by  Congress. 

Conscious  of  the  truth  of  what  I  have  now  generally  related, 
and  flattering  myself  that  the  whole  of  it  will  be  remembered 
by  this  honorable  Assembly,  I  do  not  feel  myself  under  the 
necessity  of  making  a  particular  recapitulation,  but  generally 


MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE.  65 

entreat  this  honorable  Assembly,  in  their  considering  the  nar 
rative  I  have  given,  in  the  first  place,  to  take  into  view  the 
three  different  periods  of  my  agency  abroad  for  the  public, 
viz: — 

The  first,  from  my  leaving  America  until  the  arrival  of  Dr. 
Franklin  and  Mr.  Lee  in  Paris. 

The  second  is  from  that  time  until  the  4th  of  March,  1778, 
the  day  of  my  receiving  my  recall ;  and  the  third  is  thence  to 
my  leaving  France ;  and  that  my  situation  and  conduct  may  be 
considered  and  strictly  examined  in  each  of  these  three  different 
situations  and  periods,  and  also  what  assistance  I  received,  and 
what  services  I  performed. 

In  the  first,  my  situation  was  such  as  I  venture  to  say  no 
public  minister  or  agent  ever  before  found  himself  in.  During 
this  first  period,  in  a  manner,  the  whole  of  the  artillery,  tents, 
arms,  and  other  stores  for  the  campaign  of  1777,  were  procured 
by  me ;  the  ships  engaged  to  transport  them  to  America,  and 
actually  loaded  or  ready  to  load  with  them,  and  as  skilful  and 
gallant  a  corps  of  artillery  and  engineers  of  family  and  connec 
tions  every  way  honorable,  engaged  to  go  out  with  the  stores, 
as  ever  (I  confidently  say  it),  embarked  in  any  enterprise  what 
ever.  Though  my  contracts  with  them  may  have  been  con 
sidered  as  beyond  the  powers  I  was  vested  with,  and  an  error 
in  me,  this  by  no  means  lessens  the  abilities  and  character  of 
those  gallant  officers,  or  the  importance  of  the  supplies  obtained 
partly  by  my  engagements  with  those  officers  and  their  connec 
tions  in  France.  It  is  with  pleasure  I  find  that  those  of  them 
who  were  employed  and  served  in  America  have  fully  justified 
the  characters  given  of  them  to  me  at  first  by  my  honorable 
friends,  their  relations  and  patrons,  and  that  they  have  shown 
themselves,  in  the  opinion  of  Congress,  deserving  of  higher 
ranks  than  what  I  contracted  with  them  for.  At  the  same  time 
I  cannot  forbear  saying,  that  the  personal  distresses  and  chagrin 
which  others  of  them  have  undergone,  deeply  affects  me. 

One  fortunate  circumstance  I  cannot  but  mention  and  con- 
9 


66  MK.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE. 

gratulate  my  country  on ;  it  is,  that  of  the  eight  vessels  which 
were  taken  up  by  me,  and  loaded  with  these  stores,  one  only 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  and  that  after  a  considerable 
part  of  her  cargo  had  been  landed  in  Martinique.  I  mean  the 
ship  La  Seine,  betrayed  through  the  villany  of  an  ungrateful 
and  abandoned  American,  one  Davis,  formerly  of  Boston. 

During  the  second  period,  it  will  be  found  on  examination 
that  my  situation  was  equally  peculiar;  joined  with  two  col 
leagues,  one  of  which  Dr.  Franklin  and  myself  were  so  unhappy 
as  to  differ  with,  and  the  public  business  intrusted  to  us  exceed 
ingly  important,  pressing,  and  embarassed,  and,  at  times,  to 
appearance  desperate. 

Availing  myself  of  the  perfect  confidence  and  friendship 
which  mutually  subsisted1  between  my  colleague  Dr.  Franklin 
and  myself,  I  took  the  burden  of  the  executive  part  of  Ameri 
can  affairs  on  me. 

No  remittances  were  made  from  America;  on  the  contrary, 
large  drafts  for  money  were  sent  over  from  Congress.  The 
whole  sum  received  in  Europe  amounted  to  but  about  one 
hundred  and  thirty  thousand  pounds  sterling,  to  answer  every 
demand. 

During  this  period,  and  thus  situated,  besides  the  private  as 
well  as  public  important  services  I  executed,  near  forty  thou 
sand  suits  of  clothes  complete,  shirts,  shoes,  stockings,  and  lesser 
articles  to  a  considerable  amount,  arms,  ammunition,  supplies 
for  ships,  cannon,  a  frigate  entirely  new  of  thirty-two  guns,  a 
large  ship  mounting  sixteen,  and  lesser  vessels  were  purchased 
and  procured,  and  the  vessels  loaded  and  sent  out  to  America, 
where  fortunately  they  all  arrived  seasonably  for  the  campaign 
of  1776. 

In  the  execution  of  this,  as  well  as  of  every  other  part  of  the 
business  executed  by  me,  I  was  assisted  and  directed  by  the 
advice  and  concurrence  of  my  colleague,  Dr.  Franklin ;  and  as 
uniformly  vexed,  and  at  times  embarrassed,  by  the  incessant 


MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE.  67 

uneasiness  and  murmurings  of  Mr.  Lee,  who  took  no  part  in 
the  execution  of  the  above  business  of  supplies. 

In  addition  to  the  executing  the  business  above  mentioned, 
the  Continental  ships  of  war,  prizes,  and  other  ships  which  ar 
rived  in  France,  or  were  sent  out  from  thence,  on  account  of 
these  States,  formed  a  most  complicated  and  embarrassing  part 
of  our  affairs,  the  management  of  which  was  devolved  entirely 
on  me. 

The  captains  and  others  who  arrived  ever  paid  the  utmost 
respect  to  my  colleague,  Dr.  Franklin,  and  advised  with  him ; 
but  from  his  advanced  age,  and  never  having  been  conversant 
in  maritime  affairs,  they  never  looked  to  him  for  the  dispatch  of 
their  concerns  and  commissions.  As  to  Mr.  Lee,  the  most  any 
of  them  could  be  brought  to,  was  to  pay  him  those  ceremonious 
civilities  never  to  be  dispensed  with  to  men  in  office. 

I  kept  up  at  the  same  time  a  regular  correspondence  in  the 
different  ports  and  capital  trading  towns  in  France,  and  in 
other  commercial  states,  particularly  in  Holland,  besides  other 
correspondence  of  a  political  nature,  and  an  extensive  one  with 
merchants  in  different  parts  of  Europe,  who  had  turned  their 
attention  towards  a  commerce  with  the  subjects  of  these  States. 
This  general  correspondence  of  mine,  and  the  continual  appli 
cations  made  to  me  by  merchants  in  Paris,  and  from  other 
places,  gave  Mr.  Lee  great  jealousy,  and  led  him  to  imagine  me 
deeply  concerned  myself;  a  suspicion  totally  groundless;  for 
neither  in  the  ships  I  chartered,  before  or  after  his  arrival,  had 
I  ever  shipped  one  shilling  of  private  property,  or  made  to  my 
self  one  shilling  advantage ;  and  with  the  merchants  who  soli 
cited  me  for  information  and  advice,  I  had  never  any  interest 
except  two  adventures  which  I  engaged  in  whilst  under  the 
character  of  a  merchant,  one  of  which  was  taken  by  the  enemy, 
the  other  arriving,  made  good  my  loss.  Excepting  these, 
though  I  had  before  been  in  commerce,  and  had  then  two 
brothers  actually  engaged  in  it  in  America,  I  never,  as  it  is  well 


68  MK.   DEANE  S  NARRATIVE. 

known,  shipped  anything  to  either  of  them,  except  some  trifles 
in  the  family  way. 

During  the  whole  of  the  first  two  periods,  I  was  generously 
and  ably  assisted  by  Mr.  Carmichael  and  Dr.  Bancroft,  at  their 
own  expense  of  time  and  even  money  in  part,  as  only  a  part  of 
their  expenses  and  living  was  paid  by  the  Commissioners,  and 
I  never  burdened  the  public  with  the  expenses  either  of  a 
secretary  or  clerk.  These  gentlemen  who  had  thus  disinterest 
edly  served  their  country,  I  am  confident  will  be  properly  con 
sidered  by  Congress. 

I  had  on  my  hands  also  during  this  second  period  until  Sep 
tember,  1777,  when  the  last  ship  sailed,  the  business  of  shipping 
out  the  stores  I  contracted  for  in  the  first. 

The  part  I  acted  in  the  short  space  of  time  which  forms  the 
third  is  well  known,  and  it  is  with  the  greatest  pleasure  I  this 
day  see  this  honorable  Assembly  and  these  United  States  enjoy 
ing  those  advantages  which  have  resulted  from  it,  which  though 
not  so  great  and  decisive  as  I  had  a  right  at  the  time  to  expect, 
and  promised  myself,  are,  notwithstanding,  too  well  felt  to  re 
quire  my  enlarging  on  them. 

The  letters  before  Congress  from  Dr.  Franklin,  and  other 
great  and  distinguished  persons  in  France,  who  were  intimately 
acquainted  with  my  whole  transactions,  will  show  with  what 
degree  of  reputation,  in  France,  I  conducted  the  affairs  of  these 
States,  to  which  I  applied  myself  with  that  attention,  that  du 
ring  near  two  years'  residence  in  France,  I  never  appropriated  a 
sTngle  day  to  any  private  business  of  my  own,  nor  even  to 
amusement;  that  I  confined  myself  entirely  to  the  business  I 
was  engaged  in,  never  having  so  much  as  left  Paris  or  the 
Court  during  the  whole  of  that  time,  except  on  a  journey  to 
Havre  for  a  little  relaxation,  and  where  public  accounts  and 
other  business  of  these  States  Called  me. 

Before  I  close,  I  ask  the  attention  of  Congress  to  what  re 
spects,  not  only  myself  personally,  but  the  public. 

It  is  now  three  years  since  my  entering  on  the  negotiations  I 


MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE.  69 

have  had  the  honor  of  relating.  The  settlement  of  the  public 
accounts,  which  I  am  exceedingly  anxious  for,  will  show, 
whether,  during  that  time,  I  have  applied  one  shilling  of  the 
public  moneys  to  my  own  use.  It  is  well  known  that  my  pri 
vate  fortune  in  America,  which  at  the  time  I  left  my  country 
was  moderate,  has  not  been  augmented,  but  the  contrary,  by 
my  absence;  and  I  now  assure  Congress  that,  except  a  few 
pieces  of  silk  sent  out  to  the  care  of  my  brother,  the  effects  of 
which  he  left  with  me,  and  for  which  I  am  accountable,  and  one 
hundred  guineas  or  louis  d'ors  for  pocket  money,  I  brought 
nothing  with  me  from  France  except  my  clothes. 

I  should  not  have  troubled  Congress  with  mentioning  these 
circumstances,  trifling  in  themselves,  had  not  reports  been  in 
dustriously  propagated,  that  I  had  been  largely  concerned  in 
private  commerce,  and  amassed  a  large'fortune  thereby.  Those 
who  know  me  personally,  know  in  how  light  a  scale  I  have 
ever  held  my  private  interest  when  that  of  my  country  pre 
sented  itself,  as  coming  in  the  least  in  competition  with  it. 

When  Congress  and  the  public  reflect  on  the  opportunities 
then  in  my  hands  of  advancing  my  private  fortune  without  in 
juring  the  public,  they  will  be  convinced  of  the  same;  for  had  I 
sent  but  one  or  two  trunks  or  packages  in  each  of  the  ships 
which  every  agent  it  is  well  known  is  always  entitled  to,  or 
indulged  in,  such  was  the  situation  of  American  commerce,  I 
well  knew  I  could  have  made  a  fortune  equal  to  my  wants  or 
wishes.  I  never  lost  a  moment  on  the  subject. 

I  must  add  that  when  urged  to  come  out  in  a  frigate  or  ship 
of  the  line,  instead  of  insisting  on  the  fleet  from  Toulon,  it  was 
urged  to  me  as  an  inducement  that  I  could  transport  with  safety 
any  articles  I  might  wish  to  carry  out  with  me,  and  which, 
considering  the  long  time  I  had  been  absent,  might  be  of  con 
sequence  to  me  and  my  family,  and  which  by  sailing  from  Brest 
I  might  improve,  whereas  I  could  not  do  it  at  Toulon — the  part 
I  preferred  is  known.  I  will  not  boast  of  sacrifices  when  serv 
ing  my  country ;  I  study  to  know  only  what  is  my  duty,  nor 


70  MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE. 

ever  think  of  sacrifices;  much  less  can  I  ever  bring,  myself  to 
boast  of  anything  I  have  done,  or  may  do,  or  suffer,  as  being 
sacrifices.  :»-. 

Since  my  attending  the  pleasure  of  Congress  in  this  city,  I 
have  repeatedly  taken  the  liberty  to  express,  in  my  letters  to 
Congress,  the  situation  I  found  myself  in,  and  my  anxiety  to 
finish  the  errand  I  returned  upon.  I  presume  that  no  one  will 
censure  me  for  an  unbecoming  impatience,  who  considers  the 
trust  that  had  been  reposed  in  me,  the  great  and  extensive 
affairs  I  had  been  concerned  in,  the  circumstances  of  my  leaving 
France,  and  how  prejudicial  a  silent  delay  of  months  must  prove 
to  that  character  and  reputation  with  my  countrymen  which  I 
flattered  myself  I  had  merited,  and  which  I  looked  for  as  the 
only  valuable  reward  of  my  labors ;  and  when  they  add  to  these 
considerations  the  insinuations  of  my  enemies,  that  this  delay 
was  on  account  of  the  dissatisfaction  of  Congress  with  my  con 
duct,  and  meant  as  a  mark  of  their  displeasure,  though  I  can  by 
no  means  bring  myself  to  believe  that  Congress,  when  dissatis 
fied  with  their  servants,  will  not  instantly  tell  them  of  it,  in  the 
most  explicit  terms,  as  well  as  in  what  they  have  offended ;  yet 
from  a  resolution  passed  in  Congress  on  the  day  of 
last,  ordering  Mr.  Carmichael  to  be  examined  respecting  my 
character  and  conduct  in  France,  unfavorable  inferences  may  be 
drawn,  I  again  take  the  liberty  to  entreat  that  if  anything  has 
been  laid  to  my  charge  I  may  be  informed  of  it  in  writing. 

I  cannot  omit  another  circumstance  which  renders  this  neces 
sary;  a  confidential  servant  of  Congress,  the  secretary  of  the 
Secret  Committee  for  Foreign  Affairs,  Mr.  Payne,  has,  in  a 
publication  in  Mr.  Dunlap's  paper  of  the  15th  inst.,  in  order  to 
give  the  greater  force  to  his  illiberal  and  abusive  attack  on  my 
character  and  conduct,  whilst  the  agent  and  minister  of  Con 
gress,  assured  the  public  that  he  is,  as  he  expresses  himself,  no 
stranger  to  my  negotiations  and  contracts  in  France,  and  in 
deed  that  many  things  respecting  my  conduct  in  France  (which 
really  never  happened),  are  familiar  to  him.  He  then  repre- 


MK.  DEANE'S  NAKKATIVE.  71 

« 

scuts  himself  equally  familiar  with  everything  which  is  debated, 
or  which  passes  in  Congress ;  of  the  grounds  on  which  the  reso 
lutions  of  Congress  are  taken,  and  how  the  votes  stood  on  the 
question  put,  as  well  as  of  the  cause  of  other  important  events ; 
and  has  ventured  to  acquaint  the  public  that  the  motives  for 
the  resolution  of  Congress  of  the  8th  of  December,  ordering  my 
return,  were  very  different  from  anything  expressed  in  the  reso 
lution  itself,  or  in  the  letter  accompanying  it,  and  really  such 
as  are  totally  contrary,  not  only  to  the  expressed  sense  of  the 
resolution  and  letter,  but  to  everything  I  have  been  informed 
of  by  the  honorable  members  of  Congress  then  present. 

Nothing  but  the  official  character  of  this  man,  and  his  taking 
advantage  of  it  to  sport  with  the  secret  proceedings  of  Congress, 
which  (if  true),  affect  my  reputation,  could  have  induced  me  to 
take  notice  of  him  or  his  publications. 

Congress  best  know  what  were  the  motives  for  my  recall, 
and  what  were  then  or  have  since  been  the  charges,  if  any, 
against  me.  As  their  servant  I  obeyed  their  orders,  and  have 
since  waited  their  pleasure,  though  in  a  situation  distressing  to 
my  personal  interest,  and  more  so  to  my  feelings. 

I  had  the  misfortune,  when,  in  August  last,  I  was  honored 
with  being  heard  by  Congress,  to  be  greatly  misunderstood  by 
some  of  the  honorable  members  then  present,  who  have  since 
expressed  themselves  in  consequence  of  such  misapprehension, 
as  if  I  had  declined  or  evaded  the  answering  such  questions  as 
wrere  or  should  be  put  to  me  by  Congress,  as  I  have  been  as 
sured  by  an  honorable  member  of  Congress  that  he  understood 
me  in  that  manner.  I  have  since  endeavored  to  recollect,  as 
nearly  as  possible,  what  expression  of  mine  at  the  time  gave  the 
ground  for  this  error.  I  have*  consulted  my  minutes,  but  find 

*  Originally  thus:  "I  have  also  consulted  the  minutes  of  those  gentlemen  who 
noted  in  writing  what  I  said,  as  well  as  my  own,  minutes."  The  several  words 
scored  are  carefully  and  artfully  scratched  with  a  pen,  and  almost  obliterated;  as 
if  Mr.  Deane  meant,  upon  second  thoughts,  arising,  probably,  upon  a  second 
consultation,  to  conceal  that  he  had  "consulted"  with  "those  gentlemen." 


72  MR.  DEANE'S  NABSATIVB. 

nothing  on  which  such  a  construction  could  be  made,  unless  it 
arose  from  what  I  then  thought  and  meant  to  express,  and 
which,  as  my  present  sentiments  and  request,  I  beg  leave  to 
repeat,  that,  as  insinuations  had  then  and  have  since  been  pro 
pagated  to  my  disadvantage,  I  then  asked,  and  still  pray,  that 
if  there  are  any  charges  exhibited  against  me,  I  may  be  made 
acquainted  with  them,  and  that  in  such  case  those  charges,  as 
well  as  the  questions  to  be  asked  me  respecting  them,  may  be 
delivered  to  me  in  writing. 

On  a  review  of  what  I  have  written,  I  think  myself  obliged 
as  a  citizen  of  America,  deeply  interested  in  whatever  affects 
the  prosperity  and  reputation  of  these  States,  to  say  that  the 
Commercial  Agency,  since  the  first  appointment  of  Mr.  Morris 
to  that  department,  has  not  been  advantageous  to  either,  and  I 
do  not  think  it  will  be  so  hereafter.  Capital  houses  in  the 
trading  cities,  such  as  that  of  Messrs.  Delaps  at  Bordeaux,  and 
Messrs.  Montandieu  at  Nantes,  have  been  greatly  disgusted  at 
proposals  made  to  them  of  dividing  a  commission  with  the 
agent  and  acting  as  his  deputies ;  nor  will  any  persons  accept 
of  such  terms  but  those  who  have  little  or  no  other  employ, 
and  consequently  are  not  of  a  character  in  the  commercial 
world  to  give  weight  and  reputation  to  our  commerce. 

A  consul  at  L'Orient,  which  is  probably  by  this  time  declared 
a  free  port,  and  another  at  Bordeaux,  or  Bayonne,  and  one  at 
Dunqurke,  appear  to  me  to  be  necessary,  and  that  such  a  regu 
lation  would  give  the  proper  reputation  to  our  commercial 
affairs,  which  have  hitherto  suffered  greatly,  as  well  by  the 
agency  itself,  as  from  the  conduct  of  the  agents ;  and  having 
taken  the  liberty  to  say  thus  much,  I  ought  to  add  that  proper 
persons  for  this  appointment,  and  persons  well  esteemed  in  the 
commercial  ports  of  France,  are  now  there,  particularly  Mr. 
Williams  from  Boston,  Mr.  Johnson  from  Maryland,  and  Mr. 
Nesbit  from  this  city. 

Though  I  have  several  times  mentioned  Dr.  Bancroft  and  his 
services,  I  cannot,  in  justice  to  these  States,  to  him,  and  to  my 


MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE.  73 

own  feelings,  omit  saying  that  he  was  early  sent  for,  by  order 
of  Congress,  from  London ;  that  he  sacrificed  all  his  prospects 
there,  and,  during  the  whole  time  of  our  negotiations  in  France, 
devoted  himself  to  the  service  of  his  country;  that  he  acquired 
the  esteem  and  confidence  of  persons  of  rank  and  character  in 
France,  as  well  with  the  political  and  commercial,  as  with  the 
literary  characters  in  that  kingdom.  It  is  true  he  had  the  mis 
fortune  to  disagree  with  Mr.  A.  Lee,  and  with  Mr.  W.  Lee, 
more  particularly  with  the  latter,  yet  I  must  flatter  myself  that 
Congress  will  not  suffer  his  merit  and  services  to  remain  longer 
unnoticed. 

M.  Beaumarchais  often  complained  to  me  that,  in  return  for 
his  labors  and  advances,  he  was  so  far  unnoticed  that  he  could 
not  obtain  a  single  letter  in  answer  to  the  many  he  had  written 
to  Congress,  and  which  he  was  informed  had  been  received  by 
them. 

It  is  of  the  last  importance  that  persons  employed  as  the 
agents  and  ministers  of  these  States  in  Europe,  should  be  such 
whose  liberal  and  generous  disposition,  manner,  and  address, 
will  conciliate  the  esteem  of  the  people  at  large,  as  well  as  of 
the  Court  to  which  they  are  sent.  This,  though  known  and 
acknowledged  by  all,  I  mention  here,  because  these  States  have 
suffered  already  partially,  and  may  hereafter,  essentially,  from 
different  characters. 

Front  the  situation  of  affairs  in  Europe  when  I  left  it,  and 
from  everything  I  am  able  to  form  a  judgment  of  what  it  will 
be  hereafter,  I  am  fully  persuaded  that  these  States  can  never 
be  benefited  equal  to  the  expense,  by  supporting  ministers  at 
any  of  the  courts  in  Europe,  except  at  the  principal  ones  of  the 
Bourbon,  or  family  compact,  at  Holland,  and  at  Sweden  or 
elsewhere  in  the  north  of  Europe;  at  the  latter,  on  account  of 
naval  stores,  and  at  Holland,  on  account  of  commerce  in  gene 
ral,  and  of  a  loan  of  money,  if  it  should  be  thought  necessary  to 
procure  one. 

When  I  left  France,  a  loan  was  practicable  in  Holland  for 
10 


74:  MB.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE. 

these  States,  as  I  have  before  mentioned;  but  I  ought  to  say  it 
was  then,  and  has  ever  since  been  growing  more  difficult,  yet  I 
do  not  think  it  impracticable  at  present,  if  rightly  applied  for, 
and  without  further  loss  of  time. 

I  have  now,  in  obedience  to  the  order  of  Congress,  given  a 
faithful  narrative  of  my  agency  of  their  affairs  in  Europe,  and 
such  information  on  other  subjects  as  I  have  thought  of  import 
ance  that  Congress  should  be  acquainted  with. 

I  have  now  to  apologize  for  the  length  of  my  narration, 
which  has  unavoidably  exceeded  what  I  expected,  and  to  return 
my  grateful  acknowledgments  to  Congress  for  the  honorable 
trust  they  appointed  me  to  execute,  and  the  opportunities  given 
me  of  serving  these  States  in  a  distinguished  and  important 
line,  and  for  the  patient  and  candid  hearing  I  have  now  been 
indulged  with.  The  sphere  I  have  moved  in,  and  the  part  I 
have  acted,  can  never  be  considered  as  an  indifferent  one.  Not 
to  have  merited  the  approbation  of  Congress,  situated  as  I  have 
been,  necessarily  must  be  to  deserve  their  severest  censures.  I 
cheerfully  rely  on  the  candor  and  justice  of  Congress  to  exa 
mine  and  judge  which  I  am  entitled  to;  their  decision  will 
relieve  me,  my  friends  and  countrymen,  from  that  state  of  sus 
pense  with  regard  to  my  conduct  which  the  public  have  been 
for  some  time  held  in. 

The  approbation  of  my  country  is  the  greatest  reward  and 
honor  I  have  ever  aspired  to,  and  the  hopes  of  securing  finally 
their  liberty  and  independence  alone  animated  and  supported 
me  under  the  pressing,  the  various,  and  I  may  say  inexplicable 
difficulties  and  embarrassments  which  I  labored  under  from  my 
arrival  in,  to  my  leaving  of  France.  Without  this,  and  the 
generous  patronage  afforded  me  by  my  honorable  friends  in 
Europe,  in  France  in  particular,  I  must  early  have  failed  and 
sunk  under  them.  Fortunately  for  me,  and  much  more  so  for 
these  States,  the  great  object  in  view  was  finally  obtained,  and 
the  greatest  and  last  wish  of  my  life  will  be,  that  the  liberty 
and  independence  of  these  States  may  be  perpetual. 


MR.  DEANE'S  NARRATIVE.  75 

Next  to  the  honor  of  assisting  and  securing  the  liberty  and 
independence  of  my  country,  I  count  on  that  of  being  its  honest, 
faithful,  and  disinterested  servant  and  citizen ;  a  character  which 
the  following  letters  will  show  me  to  have  obtained  in  France, 
which  I  have  never  forfeited;  enjoying  this,  and  while  I  am 
conscious  of  the  part  I  have  acted,  and  that  these  States  are  free 
and  independent  (partly  in  consequence  of  it),  whatever  my  fate 
may  be,  I  can  never  be  miserable,  on  the  contrary  I  shall  be 
essentially  happy. 


MR.  DEANE'S  MEMORIAL. 


TO  THE  HONORABLE  THE  DELEGATES  OF  THE 
UNITED  STATES  OF  NORTH  AMEEICA  IN  GENE- 
EAL  CONGRESS  ASSEMBLED. 

THE  Memorial  of  Silas  Deane,  late  one  of  their  Commission 
ers  at  the  Court  of  Versailles,  and  their  political  and  commercial 
agent,  respectfully  showeth — 

That  he  engaged  to  serve  these  States  as  their  political  and 
commercial  agent  in  January,  1776,  and  soon  after  embarked 
for  Europe. 

That,  on  his  arrival  in  France,  he  diligently  applied  himself 
to  render  these  States  every  service  in  his  power,  as  well  in  the 
political  as  in  the  commercial  line. 

That,  previous  to  the  arrival  of  the  Honorable  Doctor  Frank 
lin  in  the  month  of  November  following,  with  a  commission, 
appointing  him  one  of  your  Commissioners  at  the  Court  of 
Versailles,  your  memorialist  had  contracted  for  large  supplies 
for  these  States,  and  had  begun  to  ship  off  the  same  for  this 
Continent,  which,  with  the  political  concerns  intrusted  to  his 
care,  engrossed  the  whole  of  his  time  and  the  utmost  of  his 
attention,  meeting  with  difficulties  and  embarrassments,  which 
the  situation  of  affairs  in  France,  at  that  time,  threw  daily  in 
his  way. 


78  MR.  DEANE'S  MEMORIAL. 

That,  on  the  arrival  of  Dr.  Franklin,  many  circumstances 
conspired  to  increase  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  completing  of 
those  contracts,  which  lay  wholly  in  your  memorialist ;  in  ad 
dition  to  which,  the  executive  part  of  the  business  of  the  Com 
missioners  in  contracting  for,  and  purchasing  clothing  and  other 
stores  for  the  armies  of  these  States ;  the  soliciting  for  supplies 
and  assistance,  and  the  procuring  of  ships  to  transport  the  same 
to  these  States,  fell,  in  a  manner,  wholly  on  him,  and  the  obsta 
cles  he  met  with,  and  the  embarrassments  he  found  himself 
constantly  under  were  such,  that  nothing  but  the  hopes  of  pro 
curing  for  his  country  the  most  important  and  seasonable  sup 
plies  animated  him  to  persevere  amid  the  many  difficulties 
which  surrounded  him. 

That  his  situation  and  conduct  at  the  time  having  been 
already  laid  before  Congress,  need  not  be  particularized  at  this 
time;  it  is  sufficient  to  say  that,  on  the  4th  of  March,  1778, 
when  all  the  stores  your  memorialist  first  contracted  for,  were 
shipped,  as  were  those  purchased  afterwards  by  himself  and  the 
Commissioners,  his  then  colleagues ;  and  when  the  treaties  of 
alliance  and  commerce,  being  happily  completed,  your  Com 
missioners  and  agents  found  themselves,  for  the  first  time,  at 
liberty  to  transact  their  affairs  openly  and  with  the  protection 
of  the  court ;  and  when  your  memorialist  found  himself  in  a 
situation  to  complete  the  shipping  off  the  stores  still  on  hand, 
and  to  close  the  accounts  of  the  several  purchases  made,  and  of 
the  expenses  thereon ;  he  received  the  order  of  Congress,  of  the 
8th  of  December,  1777,  for  his  immediate  return  to  America. 
Though  your  memorialist  has  at  all  times  paid  the  most  ready 
and  implicit  obedience  to  the  orders  of  Congress,  yet  situated 
as  he  then  was,  and  as  the  affairs  of  the  Commissioners  and  his 
own  were,  he  then  thought,  and  is  still  of  opinion,  that  his 
immediate  return  might  have  been  dispensed  with,  until  the 
accounts  of  the  Commissioners,  as  well  as  of  his  own  transac 
tions,  should  be  adjusted  and  closed,  had  it  not  been  for  an 
object  of  the  last  importance  to  these  States,  which  then  pre- 


MR.  DEANE'S  MEMORIAL.  79 

sented  itself,  to  obtain  which,  he  then  and  still  considers  himself 
justified  in  neglecting  every  other  consideration. 

Your  memorialist,  therefore,  knowing  that  it  was  impossible, 
without  delaying  his  return  for  many  months,  to  call  in,  and 
close  accounts  open  with  persons  who  had  been  employed  in 
different  ports  in  France  and  Holland  by  the  Commissioners  in 
procuring  the  stores,  and  that  to  attempt  to  do  it  would  expose 
his  intention  of  returning,  which  it  was  necessary  to  be  kept 
secret  to  effect  the  other  purpose  (already  explained  to  Con 
gress),  he  resolved  on  immediate  compliance  with  the  order 
received,  and  left  Paris  on  the  30th  of  March,  taking  with  him 
an  account  from  the  banker  of  all  the  moneys  received  and  paid 
out,  on  account  of,  and  by  order  of  the  Commissioners,  in  order 
that  Congress  might  have  an  authentic  and  exact  state  of  their 
funds  in  France ;  which  general  account,  with  a  particular  ex 
planation  thereof,  he  laid  before  Congress  immediately  after  his 
return,  and  to  which  no  exceptions  have  ever  been  taken  that 
have  come  to  his  knowledge. 

On  the  arrival  of  your  memorialist  on  the  10th  of  July  in 
this  river,  and  on  the  12th '  in  this  city,  he,  .without  delay,  ap 
plied  to  Congress  on  the  subject  of  his  return ;  his  repeated 
applications  to  Congress,  and  the  answers  he  has  received  are 
before  them,  and  need  not  be  recited  here.  Congress  must  also 
be  sensible  of  the  delays  he  has  met  with,  and  have  some  idea 
of  what  he  has  suffered  thereby.  Your  memorialist,  from  his 
first  arrival  in  America  to  this  time,  having  repeatedly  solicited 
Congress,  as  well  in  person,  as  by  his  letters  and  petitions,  that 
they  would  inform  him  if  exceptions  had  been  taken,  or  charges 
made  against  any  part  of  his  conduct,  and  that  he  might  be 
heard  thereon  if  there  were.  He  has  been  the  more  urgent  and 
pressing  on  this  subject,  knowing  that  his  conduct  had  been 
misrepresented  by  his  enemies  whom  he  left  at  Paris  and  at 
Nantes,  and  on  account  of  the  many  false  and  abusive  publica 
tions  in  the  newspapers  since  his  return.  As  his  letters  and  peti 
tions  on  this  subject  are  still  before  Congress,  your  memorialist 


80  MR.  DEANE'S  MEMORIAL. 

need  not  to  repeat  them,  or  the  substance  of  them  at  this  time, 
but  begs  leave  to  observe  that,  from  the  resolutions  of  Congress 
of  the  6th  inst.,  by  which  lie  is  discharged  from  any  further  at 
tendance  on  Congress,  and  by  which  the  several  Commissioners, 
commercial  agents,  and  others,  in  JEurope,  intrusted  with  public 
money,  be  directed  to  transmit  without  delay  their  accounts  and 
vouchers,  and  also  triplicate  copies  of  the  same  to  the  Board  of 
Treasury  of  these  United  /States,  in  order  for  settlement,  he  is  obliged 
to  conclude  that  Congress  are  satisfied  with  his  conduct,  whilst 
their  political  and  commercial  agent  and  Commissioner,  and  that 
they  do  approve  thereof  so  far  as  the  same  has  come  to  their 
knowledge,  and  that  there  are  no  charges  against  him  before 
Congress,  and  that  it  is  the  resolution  of  Congress  to  have  all 
the  accounts  of  their  Commissioners  and  agents  settled  without 
delay;  this  resolution,  which  your  memorialist  petitioned  for 
in  October  last,  as  by  his  letter  of  that  date  still  before  Con 
gress  will  appear,  obliges  him  without  further  loss  of  time  to 
return  to  France,  previous  to  which,  he  requests  the  attention 
of  Congress  to  his  situation  in  a  few  particulars. 

First,  that  it  was  his  immediate  compliance  with  the  orders 
of  Congress,  and  to  render  these  States  an  important  service, 
which  occasioned  him  to  leave  France  without  first  settling  his 
accounts,  and  finally  closing  every  transaction  he  had  been  con 
cerned  in,  either  as  the  political  and  commercial  agent,  or  as 
one  of  the  Commissioners  of  Congress. 

Secondly,  that  though  he  is  interested  in  the  final  settlement 
of  those  accounts,  Congress  is  no  less  so,  and  that  he  cannot 
return  to  France  and  attend  the  settlement  of  those  accounts, 
and  for  their  final  approbation  and  being  passed  at  the  Treasury 
Board  here,  without  a  very  great  expense  both  of  time  and 
money,  for  which  no  provision  is  made  by  the  said  resolutions 
of  Congress. 

Thirdly,  that  the  person  to  be  appointed  by  Congress  to  examine 
the  said  accounts  in  Europe,  and  certify  his  opinion  thereon  previous 
to  their  being  transmitted,  is  not  by  said  resolution  empowered, 


MR.  DEANE'S  MEMORIAL.  81 

in  case  he  shall  find  a  balance  due  to  either  of  your  agents  or 
Commissioners,  to  order  the  same,  or  any  part  thereof  to  be 
paid;  and  that  your  memorialist,  well  knowing  that  a  considera 
ble  balance  is,  and  will  be  found  due  to  him,  which,  considering 
the  accidents  of  war,  he  must  remain  long  deprived  of,  if  pre 
vious  to  its  being  paid,  his  accounts,  though  examined  'and 
approved  of  in  France,  must  be  transmitted  for  the  final  exami 
nation  and  approbation  of  the  Treasury  Board.  That,  at  the 
same  time  that  he  has  no  objection  to  that  mode  of  proceeding, 
being  at  all  times  desirous  to  prevent  any  possibility  of  error 
in  the  final  settlement,  and  that  Congress  may  have  the  most 
clear  and  ample  satisfaction  as  to  every  part  of  his  conduct,  he 
can  but  inform  Congress  that  his  private  fortune,  which  has 
suffered  greatly  by  his  absence  and  the  depreciation  of  money, 
must  be  totally  ruined  if  obliged  to  wait  so  long  a  space  of  time 
for  the  balance  due  to  him ;  on  which  your  memorialist  most 
respectfully  entreats  of  Congress  that  the  circumstances  of  his 
return  to  America,  and  his  situation  since,  as  well  as  the  neces 
sity  of  his  return  to  France  without  loss  of  time,  may  be  con 
sidered  by  them,  and  that  such  provision  may  be  made  therefor 
as  shall  appear  just;  and  that  the  person  to  be  appointed  to 
examine  his  accounts  in  Europe,  and  to  certify  his  opinion 
thereon,  may  be  empowered  and  directed  to  order  him  the  pay 
ment  of  the  balance  which  shall  be  found  in  your  memorialist's 
favor,  he  giving  security  to  be  accountable  therefor,  in  case 
that,  on  the  final  examination  of  his  accounts  by  the  Board  of 
Treasury,  there  shall  be  found  any  mistake  or  erroneous  charge 
therein.  Your  memorialist  flatters  himself  that  his  request 
will  appear  reasonable  and  just  in  the  eyes  of  Congress,  and 
that  they  will  grant  him  the  prayer  of  his  memorial ;  and  he,  as 
in  duty  bound,  shall  ever  pray  for  their  and  his  country's  glory 
and  happiness. 

(Signed)          SILAS  DEANE. 

PHILADELPHIA,  August  16, 1779. 
11 


82     PROPOSED  REPORT  ON  MR.  DEANE'S  MEMORIAL. 


PEOPOSED  EEPOET  ON  ME.  DEANE'S  MEMOEIAL. 

THE  Committee,  to  whom  was  referred  the  Memorial  of  Silas 
Deahe,  Esq.,  of  the  16th  of  August,  1779,  beg  leave  to  report — 

That  the  memorialist,  as  appears  by  the  minutes  of  the  Com 
mittee  of  Secret  Correspondence,  dated  23d  of  January,  1776, 
had  undertaken  a  voyage  to  Martinico  for  public  service. 

That,  on  the  22d  of  February,  1776,  it  was  "agreed  by  the 
said  Committee  that  he  should  proceed  immediately  for  France 
as  an  agent  of  the  Congress,  to  transact  such  business,  and  nego 
tiate  such  matters,  as  may  be  committed  to  him  by  Congress  or 
their  Committee." 

That  it  was  certified  by  the  Committee  "  to  all  whom  it  may 
concern,  that  the  bearer  (meaning  the  memorialist,  as  your 
Committee  presume),  was  appointed  to  go  into  France,  there  to 
transact  such  business,  commercial  and  political,  as  the  said 
Secret  Committee  had  committed  to  his  care,  in  behalf  and  by 
authority  of  the  Congress  of  the  thirteen  United  Colonies." 

That,  in  the  sequel  of  instructions  given  by  the  Secret  Com 
mittee  to  the  memorialist,  the  memorialist  was  directed  to  keep 
a  daily  journal  of  all  material  transactions,  &c. 

Your  Committee  cannot  be  of  opinion  that  the  Secret  Com 
mittee  judged  it  necessary  to  give  the  memorialist  directions  to 
keep  fair  and  exact  accounts  of  all  receipts  and  expenditures  of 
money  on  account  of  his  constituents,  the  keeping  and  regu 
larly  transmitting  such  accounts  being  the  indispensable  duty 
of  every  agent,  whether  public  or  private. 

Hence,  your  Committee  are  of  opinion  that  Congress  had 
good  ground  for  expecting  to  receive  from  the  memorialist, 
upon  his  arrival  at  Philadelphia,  circumstantial  and  accurate 
accounts  of  his  contracts,  if  any,  and  a  regular  stated  account 
current  of  all  receipts  and  payments  of  money  on  account  of 
these  States,  together  with  invoices  and  bills  of  lading,  for 


PROPOSED   REPORT  ON"   ME.   DEANE'S   MEMORIAL.     83 

goods  shipped,  and  receipts  or  other  satisfactory  vouchers  for 
payments  said  to  have  been  made  by  him. 

It  appears  to  your  Committee  that  the  memorialist  had  abun 
dant  time  before  he  received  the  notification  of  his  recall,  for 
collecting  all  accounts,  and  for  making  a  full  and  fair  state  of 
all  his  transactions  during  the  time  he  had  acted  as  commercial 
agent ;  and,  in  the  opinion  of  your  Committee,  such  a  statement 
of  accounts  ought  to  have  been  transmitted  to  Congress  by  the 
memorialist,  long  before  the  date  on  which  the  memorialist  says 
he  received  the  said  notification. 

Your  Committee  are  also  of  opinion  that  the  memorialist 
ought  to  have  brought  with  him  from  France,  and  to  have  laid 
before  Congress,  a  fair  abstract  of  all  accounts  and  engagements 
on  account  of  these  States,  so  far  as  he  had  proceeded  in  them, 
which  is  the  duty  and  the  practice  of  every  faithful  agent  acting 
for  private  persons  or  public  bodies. 

Your  Committee  cannot  ascertain  the  meaning  of  the  memo 
rialist  when  he  says,  that  to  render  these  States  an  important 
service  was  one  consideration  which  occasioned  him  to  leave 
France  without  first  settling  his  accounts,  and  finally  closing 
every  transaction  he  had  been  concerned  in.  Be  this  as  it  may, 
your  Committee  do  not  know  of  anything  so  important  which 
the  memorialist  has  laid  before  Congress,  since  his  arrival,  as 
will  justify  his  conduct  in  leaving  his  accounts  and  vouchers  in 
France,  not  in  the  hands  of  the  other  Commissioners,  and  not 
producing  authenticated  copies  of  them  so  far  as  such  accounts 
might  have  been  wholly  or  partially  closed. 

Your  Committee  are  clear  in  their  opinion  that  the  memo 
rialist  ought  to  have  deposited  in  the  hands  of  the  other  Com 
missioners  at  the  Court  of  Versailles,  the  originals,  or  copies 
satisfactorily  authenticated,  of  all  his  accounts  and  transactions 
as  aforesaid,  especially  as  he  was  duly  informed  that  another 
Commissioner  was  appointed  to  supply  his  place,  whence  he 
could  have  had  no  foundation  for  presuming  that  he  was  to 
return. 


84     PROPOSED  REPORT  ON   MR.   DEANE'S   MEMORIAL. 

It  does  not  appear  to  your  Committee,  from  any  of  the  nar 
ratives  or  letters  of  the  memorialist,  that  a  considerable  balance, 
as  he  insinuates,  can  possibly  be  due  to  him  from  these  States; 
on  the  contrary,  from  the  large  sums  which  the  memorialist  has 
received  from  M.  Grand,  the  banker,  in  Paris,  from  M.  de  Beau- 
marchais,  and  from  other  hands,  the  presumption  is,  that  the 
memorialist  is  indebted. 

Your  Committee  are  further  of  opinion  that  the  memorialist 
ought  to  be  informed  that  Congress  have  received  the  vindica 
tions  of  the  Honorable  Arthur  Lee,  and  William  Lee,  Esqs., 
against  certain  charges  and  insinuations  respecting  their  public 
conduct,  published  by  the  memorialist  in  the  Pennsylvania 
Packet  of  the  5th  of  December,  1778,  and  directed  to  the  free 
and  virtuous  citizens  of  America,  and  also  of  such  charges  as 
the  said  Arthur  Lee,  and  William  Lee,  Esqs.,  have  set  up 
against  the  memorialist. 

And  your  Committee  recommend  that  the  memorialist  be 
also  informed  that  the  unjust  and  unwarranted  charges  against 
Congress,  in  the  said  publication,  merit  their  highest  displeasure 
and  resentment. 

Lastly,  the  Committee  are  of  opinion,  that  if  it  be  still  prac 
ticable  to  detain  the  memorialist,  he  ought  to  be  detained  and 
directed  to  send  to  France  for  all  accounts  and  vouchers  of  his 
transactions,  in  order  to  adjust  his  accounts  at  the  Treasury 
Board,  and  to  answer  to  the  charges  set  up  against  him  by  the 
said  Arthur  Lee,  and  William  Lee,  Esqs.,  and  that  the  said 
Arthur  Lee,  and  William  Lee,  Esqs. ;  should  be  directed  forth 
with  to  attend  Congress,  as  well  for  the  final  adjustment  of  their 
own  accounts,  as  for  answering  such  charges  as  have  been 
brought  against  them  respectively  by  the  memorialist,  and  for 
supporting  their  several  charges  and  accusations  against  him. 

Your  Committee  cannot  conclude  without  remarking  that  the 
memorialist,  in  all  his  intimations  of  accounts  and  transactions, 
speaks  inexplicitly  and  ambiguously ;  and  that  they  cannot  find 
among  all  the  papers  transmitted  to,  or  laid  before  Congress  by 


AMENDMENT  TO   MOTION,   ETC.  85 

the  memorialist,  any  contract,  or  copy  of  contract  entered  into 
by  the  memorialist  for  large  supplies  for  these  States,  as  is 
asserted  in  the  third  paragraph  of  the  memorial. 

All  which  is  humbly  submitted  by  your  Committee,  &c. 


AMENDMENT  TO  A  MOTION  KESPECTING 
ME.  DEANE. 

CONGRESS  being  informed  by  a  letter  of  Arthur  Lee,  Esq., 
Commissioner  of  the  United  States,  at  the  Court  of  Madrid,  and 
one  of  the  Commissioners  of  the  said  States  at  the  Court  of 
Versailles,  dated  at  Paris  the  4th  day  of  April  last,  that  the 
papers  left  in  France  by  the  Honorable  Silas  Deane,  Esq.,  late 
one  of  the  said  Commissioners  at  the  Court  of  Versailles,  were 
not  sufficient  for  the  purpose  of  settling  the  accounts  of  public 
moneys  received  and  expended  in  Europe.  And  being  further 
informed  by  the  said  Silas  Deane,  that  the  time  between  the 
receipt  of  the  letters  to  recall  him,  and  his  embarkation,  was 
so  short,  as  to  render  it  impossible  to  adjust  the  said  accounts, 
which  were,  from  their  nature,  both  various  and  extensive; 
wherefore  he  had  left  his  papers  and  vouchers  in  the  hands  of  a 
friend  in  France,  but  by  accidents  of  the  sea  or  enemy  they 
might  have  been  destroyed. 

Resolved,  That  the  said  Silas  Deane  be  directed  to  lay  before 
Congress  the  most  accurate  accounts,  which  the  materials  now 
in  his  possession  will  admit  of,  of  all  moneys  by  him  received 
or  expended  on  account  of  the  United  States  of  America. 


CHARGES  AGAINST  MR.  SILAS  DEANE, 
MR.  FRANKLIN,  AND  MR.  ADAMS. 


CHAEGES  AGAINST  MR.  SILAS  DEANE,  WITH 
THE  EVIDENCE. 

IST  CHARGE. — That  Mr.  Deane,  during  his  political  and 
commercial  agency,  entered  into  private  commercial  concerns. 

Evidence. — Mr.  Deane's  Narrative,  p.  119 ;  and  a  publication 
by  Mr.  Eobert  Morris,  9th  January ;  a  letter  from  Mr.  Hodge 
to  Commissioners,  10th  July,  1778. 

2D  CHARGE. — Misapplication  of  public  moneys. 

Evidence. — A  letter  from  Mr.  Hodge  to  the  Commissioners, 
10th  July,  1778 ;  information  given  by  Mr.  E.  H.  Lee,  18th 
September,  1778;  extracts  of  letters  from  John  Lloyd  and 
William  Stephenson  to  Mr.  A.  Lee,  21st  and  22d  January,  and 
1st  February,  1778 ;  a  letter  from  John  Lloyd  to  Mr.  A.  Lee, 
24th  January,  1778 ;  Mr.  Hodge's  account  of  the  receipt  and 
expenditure  of  public  money  for  a  lugger  and  a  cutter,  bought 
and  fitted  out  at  Dunkirk ;  Mr.  Carmichael's  examination. 

3D  CHARGE. — That  Mr.  Deane  broke  the  orders  of  the  Secret 
Committee  in  cruising  the  cutters  for  prizes  which  he  was 


88  CHARGES  AGAINST  MR.   DEANE,   ETC. 

ordered  to   purchase  and   load  with  stores  for  these  United 
States. 

Evidence. — Orders  of  Secret  Committee,  30th  May,  1776; 
orders  of  said  committee,  3d  October,  1776 ;  Deane's  Narrative, 
pages  46,  47,  48,  49. 

4TH  CHARGE. — That  Mr.  Deane  exposed  the  interests  of  the 
United  States  by  offending  of  the  French  court  in  breaking  his 
engagements  with  it. 

Evidence. — Count  de  Yergennes's  letter  to  the  Commissioners, 
16th  July,  1777,  and  letter  from  him  to  Monsieur  Grand,  dated 
21st  August,  1777. 

5TH  CHARGE. — That  Mr.  Deane  exceeded  his  powers  in  the 
engagements  he  made  with  several  French  officers. 
Evidence. — Monsieur  du  Coudray's  contract. 

6TH  CHARGE. — That  Mr.  Deane  was  in  partnership  with  Mr. 
Jonathan  Williams,  and,  in  his  public  character  of  Commis 
sioner,  purchased  stores  of  that  partnership  for  these  United 
States. 

Evidence. — Mr.  Eobert  Morris's  letter,  26th  December,  1777; 
Mr.  Deane's  Narrative,  pages  60,  61. 

7TH  CHARGE. — That  Mr.  Deane  withheld  information  from 
Mr.  Lee,  joint  Commissioner  with  him  and  Mr.  Franklin. 

Evidence. — Deane's  Narrative,  p.  87  ;  extracts  of  letters  from 
Mr.  A.  Lee,  Williams,  and  Dellaps,  10th  August,  23d  Decem 
ber,  1777 ;  9th,  15th,  21st  December,  1777;  6th  January,  1778 ; 
Mr.  Franklin's  letter,  December  22,  1777,  to  Mr.  Williams. 

8TH  CHARGE. — That  Mr.  Deane's  accounts  are  in  a  confused, 
unsettled  state. 

Evidence. — Mr.  A.  Lee's  letter,  1st  June,  1778 ;  Deane's  Nar 
rative,  pages  104,  105. 


CHARGES   AGAINST   MR.   FRANKLIN.  89 

9TH  CHARGE. — That  Mr.  Deane  traduced  Congress,  in  charg 
ing  them  with  shutting  their  ears  against  his  information,  and 
sacrificing  him  for  the  aggrandizement  of  others. 

Evidence. — Mr.  Deane's  publication,  5th  December. 

10TH  CHARGE. — That  Mr.  Deane,  in  his  private  character, 
wrote  to  Congress  information,  which  in  his  letters  wrote  in  his 
public  character  as  Commissioner  was  directly  contradicted. 

Evidence. — Mr.  Deane's  letter  3d  and  10th  September,  1777, 
and  his  public  letter  7th  October,  1777  * 


CHARGES  AGAINST  MR.  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN, 
WITH  THE  EVIDENCE. 

IST  CHARGE. — That  Mr.  Benjamin  Franklin  withheld  infor 
mation  from  Mr.  A.  Lee,  joint  Commissioner  with  him  and 
Mr.  Adams. 

Evidence. — Mr.  A.  Lee's  letter  to  committee,  1st  June,  1778. 

2o  CHARGE. — That  Mr.  Franklin,  from  a  partiality  to  his 
nephew,  Mr.  Williams,  and  his  friend,  M.  Chaumont,  concurred 
with  Mr.  Deane  in  systems  of  profusion,  disorder,  and  dissipa 
tion  in  the  conduct  of  public  affairs. 

Evidence. — Mr.  A.  Lee's  letter  to  committee,  1st  June,  1778. 

3o  CHARGE. — That  Mr.  Franklin  is  not  a  proper  person  to 
be  trusted  with  the  management  of  the  affairs  of  America ;  that 
he  is  haughty  and  self-sufficient,  and  not  guided  by  principles 
of  virtue  or  honor. 

Evidence. — Mr.  Izard's  letter  to  the  Honorable  Mr.  Laurens, 
President  of  Congress,  28th  June,  1778. 

*  Altered  in  original  to  16th  February,  1778. 
12 


90  CHARGES  AGAINST  MR.   ADAMS. 


CHAEGES  AGAINST  MR.  JOHN  ADAMS,  WITH 
THE  EVIDENCE. 

That  Mr.  John  Adams  threatened  Mr.  Izard  with  the  dis 
pleasure  of  Congress  in  his  opposing  the  llth  and  12th  articles 
of  the  Treaty  of  Commerce;  and  that  the  said  Mr.  John  Adams 
entertained  expectations  that  Congress  would  be  inattentive  to 
the  interests  of  nine  States  of  America  to  gratify  the  eaters  and 
distillers  of  molasses. 

Evidence. — Mr.  Izard's  letter  to  the  President,  12th  Septem 
ber,  1778. 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  CONGRESS 


WITH   REFERENCE    TO 


THE  DETENTION  OF  MR.  DEANE,  AND  THE  RECALL  OF 

MR.  LEE. 


[NOTE  BY  EDITOR. — The  order  taken  upon  the  narrative  of 
Mr.  DEANE  appears  in  the  following  resolutions  of  Congress : — 

Tuesday,  December  7,  1778,  6  o'clock,  P.  M. 

Resolved,  That  Silas  Deane,  Esq.,  report  to  Congress,  in  writ 
ing,  as  soon  as  may  be,  his  agency  of  their  affairs  in  Europe, 
together  with  any  intelligence  respecting  their  foreign  affairs, 
which  he  may  judge  proper. 

Resolved,  That  Mr.  Deane  be  informed,  that  if  he  hath  any 
thing  to  communicate  to  Congress,  in  the  interim,  of  immediate 
importance,  he  shall  be  heard  to-morrow  at  six  o'clock. 

Mr.  Deane  attending,  was  called  in,  and  the  foregoing  resolu 
tions  read  to  him. 

Tuesday,  December  22,  1778. 
According  to  order,  Mr.  Deane  attending,  was  called  in,  and 


92  PROCEEDINGS  IN   CONGRESS 

proceeded  to  read  his  written  information,  but  not  having  time 
to  finish — 

Ordered,  That  he  attend  to-morrow  at  ten  o'clock,  and  pro 
ceed  in  his  information. 

Wednesday,  December  23,  1778. 

According  to  order,  Mr.  Deane  attending,  was  called  in,  and 
proceeded  in  his  information,  and  having  gone  through  what 
he  had  written,  he  produced  sundry  letters  and  papers,  which 
he  desired  might  be  read.  Upon  a  letter  of  April  7,  from  Dr. 
Franklin  to  him,  being  read,  Mr.  Deane  desired  leave  to  say 
something  in  explanation  of  the  last  clause  of  the  said  letter, 
which  respects  a  negotiator,  "who,  as  the  letter  mentions,  is 
gone  back  apparently  much  chagrined  at  his  little  success,  and 
in  which  Dr.  Franklin  says,  he  has  promised  him  faithfully, 
that,  since  his  propositions  could  not  be  accepted,  they  should 
be  buried  in  oblivion ;  and,  therefore,  earnestly  desires  that  Mr. 
Deane  should  put  that  paper  immediately  in  the  fire,  on  the 
receipt  of  the  letter,  without  taking,  or  suffering  to  be  taken, 
any  copy  of  it,  or  communicating  its  contents." 

As  he  was  proceeding  to  explain  this  matter,  a  motion  was 
made  that  Mr.  Deane  withdraw. 

Mr.  Deane  accordingly  withdrew. 

A  motion  was  made  that  Mr.  Deane  be  called  in,  and  in 
formed  that  if  he  has  anything  further  to  report,  that  he  lay  it 
before  Congress  in  writing.  In  lieu  of  which  it  was  moved  as 
an  amendment :  That  Mr.  Deane  be  permitted  to  proceed  in  his 
verbal  explanation  referred  to,  and  that  it  be  afterwards  reduced 
to  writing,  if  Congress  should  judge  it  necessary. 

Which  was  resolved  in  the  affirmative. 
Ordered,  That  the  Secretary  inform  Mr.  Deane,  that  Congress 
will  give  him  notice  when  he  shall  attend  again,  which  will 
probably  be  this  evening.] 


RELATIVE  TO   MR.   DEANE.  93 

IN  CONGRESS,  10th  June,  1779. 

The  order  of  the  day  being  called  for,  and  the  report  of  the 
Committee  of  Thirteen  on  Foreign  Affairs  being  taken  up  — 

A  motion  was  made  by  Mr.  Burke,  seconded  by  Mr.  Laurens, 
that  the  further  consideration  of  the  said  report  be  postponed, 
until  order  be  taken  on  the  letter  of  the  22d  May  last,  from 
Mr.  Deane,  and  a  decision  made  on  the  resolution  moved  there 
on  by  a  member  from  North  Carolina,  seconded  by  a  member 
from  South  Carolina.  On  which,  the  yeas  and  nays  being  re 
quired  by  Mr.  Burke  — 

New  Hampshire  ......  Mr.  Whipple  ..........  No.  —  No. 

Massachusetts  Bay  .  .  .  Mr.  S.  Adams  .........  No.  "] 

Gerry  ..............  No.  }•  No. 

Holton  ............  Ay.} 

Rhode  Island  .........  Mr.  Ellery  ...  .  .  No. 

Collins.  ............  Ay 

Connecticut  ............  Mr.  Sherman  ..........  No.  ~] 

Huntington  .......  No.  }-No. 

Spencer  ............  Ay.] 

New  York  .............  Mr.  Jay  .................  Ay. 

T      • 

Lewis  ..............  Ay. 

New  Jersey  ............  Mr.  Scudder  ............  No.  ) 

-n  n  t 

Fell  .................  Ay.  \ 

Pennsylvania  .........  Mr.  Armstrong  ........  No. 

Shippen  ............  No. 

Searle  ..............  No. 

,,    '     , 
Muhlenberg  ......  Ay. 

McClane  ...........  No. 

Wyncoop  .........  Ay.  > 

Maryland  ..............  Mr.  Paca  ...............  Ay.~\ 

Carmichael  .......  Ay. 

\-  An 
Henry  .............  Ay.  f 

Jenifer  ............  Ay.  j 


.  ) 

(.  2)ivjd 
.  ) 


94  PROCEEDINGS  IN   CONGRESS 

Virginia Mr.  Smith Ay.  "] 

Griffin Ay.  \  Ay. 

Flemming Ay.  J 

North  Carolina Mr.  Penn ^2/0 

Burke Ay.  }•  Ay. 

Sharpe Ay.  J 

South  Carolina Mr.  Laurens Ay. 

Drayton Ay. 

So  it  was  resolved  in  the  affirmative. 

The  motion  was  then  read  that  Silas  Deane,  Esq.  be  ordered 
not  to  depart  the  United  States  without  the  special  permission 
of  Congress,  and  that  Arthur  Lee,  Esq.  be  directed  to  repair 
forthwith  to  America,  in  order  the  better  to  enable  Congress  to 
inquire  into  the  truth  of  the  several  allegations  and  suggestions 
made  by  the  said  Arthur  Lee,  in  his  correspondence  with  Con 
gress,  against  the  said  Silas  Deane. 

When  the  question  was  about  to  be  put,  the  previous  ques 
tion  was  moved  by  Mr.  Gerry  and  seconded  by  Mr.  S.  Adams ; 
a  division  of  the  main  question  being  called  for,  and  on  the 
question  to  agree  to  the  previous  question  for  ordering  Mr. 
Deane  not  to  depart  the  United  States  without  the  special  per 
mission  of  Congress,  the  yeas  and  nays  being  required  by  Mr. 
Laurens — 

New  Hampshire Mr.  Whipple Ay. . . .  Ay. 

Massachusetts  Say... Mr.  S.  Adams ^2/-l 

Gerry Ay.  \ 

Lovel Ay.  | 

Holton Ay.  J 

Rhode  Island Mr.  Ellery Ay.  ) 

Collins No.  \ 

Connecticut Mr.  Sherman Ay. "] 

Huntin  gton Ay.  }-  Ay. 

Spencer Ay.J 


.  \ 
.]Ay' 


RELATIVE  TO   MR.   DEANE.  95 

New  York Mr.  Jay No. 

Duane No. 

New  Jersey Mr.  Scudder Ay. 

Fell Ay, 

Pennsylvania Mr.  Armstrong Ay. 

Shippen ,  Ay. 

Searle Ay.  , 

Muhlenberg No.  •     *" 

McClane Ay. 

Wynkoop Ay. 

Maryland Mr.  Paca No. 

Carmichael No.  •.  ^ 

Henry No.  i 

Jenifer Ay.  ) 

Virginia Mr.  Smith No.~] 

Griffin No.  [No. 

Flemming No. ) 

North  Carolina Mr.  Penn No.~\ 

Burke No.  '}•  No. 

Sharpe No.) 

South  Carolina Mr.  Laurens No. 


,  No. 
Drayton No.  ' 

And  so  the  previous  question  was  lost. 

On  the  question  to  agree  to  the  main  question,  for  ordering 
Mr.  Deane  not  to  depart,  &c.,  the  yeas  and  nays  being  required 
by  Mr.  Holton — 

New  Hampshire Mr.  Whipple No. — No. 

Massachusetts  Bay.. .Mr.  S.  Adams No. "1 

Gerry No.  1  „ 

Lovel No.  i 

Holton No.) 


96  PROCEEDINGS  IN   CONGRESS 

Rhode  Island Mr.  Ellery No.  )  _ 

nir  A      \Dwd- 

Collins Ay.  ) 

Connecticut Mr.  Sherman No.  ^ 

Huntington No.  }-  No. 

Spencer No.  J 

New  York.... Mr.  Jay Ay. 


A  A  I 

Duane Ay.  ' 

New  Jersey Mr.  Scudder No. 

Fell Ay. 

Pennsylvania Mr.  Armstrong No.  ^ 

Shippen No. 

Searle No.  [ 

Muhlenberg Ay. 

McClane No. 

Wy  nkoop Ay. 

Maryland Mr.  Paca Ay.  ~] 

Carmichael Ay.  \ 

;    YDiv'd. 
Henry No* 


Jenifer No. 

Virginia Mr.Smith -^-2/0 

Griffin Ay.  \-Ay. 

Flemming Ay.  ] 

North  Carolina Mr.  Penn Ay. "] 

Burke Ay.  \Ay. 

Sharpe Ay. } 

South  Carolina Mr.  Laurens Ay. 

Drayton Ay. 

So  the  States  were  equally  divided,  and  the  question  lost. 

On  the  question  to  agree  to  the  previous  question  on  the 
second  part,  for  directing  Mr.  A.  Lee  to  repair  forthwith  to 
America,  the  yeas  and  nays  being  required  by  Mr.  Ellery — 

New  Hampshire Mr.  Whipple Ay. — Ay. 


) 
\Ay' 


RELATIVE  TO   MR.   DEA*JE.  97 

Massachusetts  Bay. . . Mr.  S.  Adams Ay.  ~\ 

Gerry Ay.  I 

Lovel.. Ay.  F 

Holton Ay. } 

Rhode  Island Mr.  Ellery Ay. 

Collins Ay. 

Connecticut Mr.  Sherman Ay.  ^ 

Huntington Ay.  J-  Ay. 

Spencer Ay. } 

t  New  York Mr.  Jay Ay. 

Duane Ay. 

New  Jersey Mr.  Scudder Ay. 

Fell Ay. 

Pennsylvania Mr.  Armstrong Ay. ' 

Shippen Ay. 

Searle Ay.  . 

Muhlenberg Ay.  ' 

McClane Ay. 

Wynkoop Ay. 

Maryland Mr.  Paca Ay.^ 

Carmichael Ay.  j-  Ay. 

Jenifer Ay.) 

Virginia Mr.  Smith No.  ^ 

Griffin Ay.  \-  Ay. 

Flemming Ay.  J 

North  Carolina Mr.  Penn Ay."} 

Burke Ay.  }•  Ay. 

Sharpe Ay.} 

South  Carolina Mr.  Laurens Ay. 

Drayton Ay. 

So  it  was  resolved  in  the  affirmative,  that  the  main  question 
be  not  now  put. 
13 


98  "  PROCEEDINGS   IN   CONGRESS 

[NOTE  BY  MR.  LAURENS.] 

Never  was  there  a  more  droll  scene  exhibited  in  a  public 
assembly  than  the  foregoing. 

Almost  every  man  who  voted  for  detaining  Mr.  Deane,  did 
so  from  a  hope  of  securing  a  vote  for  recalling  Mr.  Lee.  When 
this  should  have  been  effected,  Mr.  Deane  was  to  have  obtained 
"the  special  permission  of  Congress  for  departing  from  the 
United  States,"  or  it  might  be  that  he  would  depart  without  the 
"special  permission,"  "for  who  could  control  him"  (said  Mr.  S. 
and  J.  P).  Such  sentiments  were  expressed  by  both  parties, 
which  warrant  this  suggestion.  To  these  and  similar  expressions 
I  replied  in  Congress :  "  If  Mr.  Deane,  in  defiance  of  the  order 
of  Congress,  shall  depart  the  Unified  States,  it  will  be  pleading 
guilty,  and  upon  Mr.  Lee's  appearance  before  Congress  and 
giving  evidence  against  Mr.  Deane,  judgment  will  go  against  him 
by  his  default ;  and  I  believe  neither  this  nor  a  future  Congress 
will  hazard  that  public  resentment  which  would  follow  a  permis 
sion  to  Mr.  Deane  to  depart,  before  the  appearance  of  Mr.  Lee, 
unless  from  captivity  or  other  extraordinary  accident  he  should 
be  detained  an  unreasonable  length  of  time."  On  the  other 
hand,  those  who  could  not  bear  the  idea  of  recalling  a  faithful 
servant,  and  subjecting  him  to  the  risk  of  being  captured  and 
carried  into  England,  whose  king  and  ministers  of  state  are 
exceedingly  exasperated  against  him,  and  who  also  suspected 
the  designs  of  the  opposite  party,  therefore  voted  against  their 
wishes  to  detain  Mr.  Deane,  because  the  recall  of  Mr.  Lee  was 
tacked  to  that  article  as  an  express  condition.  Thus  were 
votes  given  by  all,  three  or  four  excepted,  against  the  princi 
ples  of  the  voters. 

My  sole  motive  in  bringing  forward  the  proposition  for  de 
taining  Mr.  Deane  and  ordering  Mr.  Lee  to  appear  and  support 
his  charges,  was  for  obtaining  justice — 

1st.  To  my  much  injured  country. 

2d.  To  individuals. 

The  proposition  originally  sprung  from  myself,  although  Mr. 


RELATIVE   TO   MR.   DEANE.  99 

Burke  reduced  it  afterwards  to  writing,  in  order,  as  he  said,  to 
try  if  gentlemen  were  in  earnest.  He  never  found  me  other 
wise. 

Before  I  had  voted  against  the  recall  of  Mr.  Lee  (on  the 
[8th  June,  1779],  see  the  journal),  I  had  repeatedly  declared  in 
Congress  that  I  would  vote  for  his  recall,  provided  Congress 
would  detain  Mr.  Deane,  and  this  opinion  I  have  invariably 
supported  in  private  conversation  with  Mr,  Lee's  brother,  and 
other  particular  friends,  in  opposition  to  their  sentiments ;  "fiat 
justitia  mat  ccelum"  was  my  governing  principle. 

Thank  God,  I  have  acted  agreeably  to  the  dictates  of  my  con 
science,  without  respect  to  persons,  and  I  trust  my  country  will 
not  condemn  my  conduct. 
llth  June,  1779. 

[NOTE  BY  EDITOR.] 

IN  CONGRESS:  Friday,  August  6,  1779. 

Resolved,  That  the  Honorable  Silas  Deane,  Esq.,  late  one  of 
the  Commissioners  at  the  Court  of  Versailles,  and  political  and 
commercial  agent,  be  discharged  from  any  further  attendance 
on  Congress. 


APPENDIX  OF  DOCUMENTS  REFERRED  TO 
IN  SUPPORT  OF  THE  NARRATIVE. 


MR.  DEANE'S  MEMORANDUM. 

Total  amount  of  payments  made  by  Monsieur  Grand,  Banker, 
to  the  Commissioners  of  the  United  States,  from  January, 
1777,  to  March  27,  1778,  inclusive livr.  4,049,988  17 

Total  amount  of  sums  received  by  the  said  Monsieur  Grand  3,756,250  00 


Balance  due  M.  Grand,  27th  March,  1778     "       293,738  17 


Sums  received  are  as  follows,  viz : — 

Four  quarterly  payments  of  500,000  livres,  each           .         .  livr.  2,000,000  00 

Of  the  Farmers  General  in  payment  of  the  contract  for  Tobacco  1,000,000  00 

Discount  of  Interest 3,250  00 

Discount  with  Doerner          .......  600  00 

Discount  with  Mr.  McCreary 2,400  00 


"    3,006,250  00 
The  first  quarterly  payment  for  1778       .  750,000  00 


Total  amount  of  moneys  received     .        .      "    3,756,25000 


N.  B.  The  promise  for  1778  was  3,000,000  of  livres  in  quarterly  payments,  the 
first  is  accounted  for  in  the  above;  there  is,  therefore,  2,250,000  livres  more  to 
be  received,  but  there  are  also  many  payments  still  to  be  made,  some  of  them 
large.  Mons.  Monthieu's  contract  for  clothes,  for  brass,  for  tin,  &c.,  amounted, 
nearly  as  I  remember,  to  about  600,000  livres,  for  he  procured  10,000  suits  of 
the  clothes  sent  over  in  one  article  ;  besides  this  he  had  a  demand  for  the  demur 
rage  of  his  vessels,  and  the  total  loss  of  one  of  them,  for  all  which  he  had  re- 


102  APPENDIX   OF  DOCUMENTS. 

ceived  by  orders  on  M.  Grand,  charged  in  M.  Grand's  account  but  60,000  livres. 
Mr.  Williams  had  a  large  account  unclosed,  as  had  Mons.  Chaumont,  besides 
several  smaller  ones,  which  with  the  continual  expenses,  and  disbursements  for 
prisoners  escaping  from  England,  for  repairs  of  Continental  vessels  arriving  in 
France,  the  dispatching  of  packets,  &c.  &c. ;  to  all  which  is  to  be  added  the  com 
pleting  and  loading  the  ships  in  Holland,  which  will  alone  call  for  500,000  livres 
more  than  has  already  been  advanced.  These  sums  put  together  will  amount  to 
as  great  a  sum  in  my  opinion  as  the  whole  of  the  remaining  three  quarterly  pay 
ments.  Among  other  large  sums,  is  the  bills  drawn  in  favor  of  Price  &  May- 
wood,  sent  over  by  Mr.  Bonfield,  amounting,  as  I  understand,  for  I  did  not  see 
his  bills,  to  about  200,000  livres. 

Suppose  then  the  amount  coming  as  follows,  to  be  received  in  three  quarterly 
payments,  2,250,000  livres. 
Demands  as  follows : — 

Supposed  in  Holland livr.      500,000 

To  Price,  Maywood,  &  Co.  200,000 

To  Monthieu,  "Williams,  Chaumont,  Sabbatier,  &  Co.,  &c.          .  1,000,000 

"    1,700,000 

There  will  remain  for  the  payment  of  expenses  through  the  year, 
and  for  the  payment  of  lesser  demands,  and  the  contingent 
expenses  mentioned,  of  prisoners,  repairs,  &c.  &c.  &c.  .  550,000 


"     2,250,000 

Forgive  my  haste,  Sir,  I  have  forgot  the  balance  already  to  send  to  M.  Grand 
of  293,378  livres  17  s.,  and  I  have  no  time  to  copy  what  I  send.  Should  the 
above  estimate  prove  true,  and  I  think  it  not  far  out  of  the  way,  there  will  be  left 
256,621  livres  3  s.  in  hand  for  the  payment  of  expenses,  small  debts  for  prisoners, 
repairs  of  vessels,  and  contingent  expenses. 

I  must  pray  your  Excellency  after  perusing  to  return  this,  or  a  copy,  as  I  have 
no  Secretary,  and  have  not  time  to  copy  before  I  send  it,  but  will  afterwards 
copy  it  myself  and  return  it  if  you  choose. 

P.  S.  Presume  this  will  be  only  for  your  private  perusal,  have  not  therefore 
been  so  particular  as  I  otherways  should  have  been ;  but  it  is  near  enough  to  be 
laid  before  the  public,  if  you  judge  proper,  as  a  general  memorandum. 


APPENDIX  OF   DOCUMENTS. 


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104  APPENDIX   OF   DOCUMENTS. 


COPIE  DE  LA  LETTRE  ECRITE  PAR  M.  DE  CHAUMONT  A  M.  HOLKER, 
DATEE  DE  PASSY  LE  28  FEVRIER,  1778. 

MONSIEUR — 

Les  deux  frigates  Ame"ricaines  le  Hancok  et  le  Boston,  commandoes  par  les 
Capitaines  Babjors  et  Hendrik,  ont  conduit  a  Nantes  le  13  Aout  dernier,  deux 
navires  Anglois  charges  de  sucre  qu'ils  ont  mis  en  declaration  comme  navires 
Hollandois  venant  de  St.  Eustache ;  cette  fausse  declaration  a  entraine"  legale- 
ment  la  confiscation  de  ces  deux  navires,  et  le  Roy,  apres  avoir  satisfait  a  sa 
justice,  a  e'coute'  les  representations  qui  ont  etc"  faites  a  sa  bonte",  et  je  suis  charge, 
Monsieur,  de  vous  autoriser  a  compter  aux  armateurs  et  autres  interesses  d'ans 
les  deux  frigates  Americaines  le  Hancok  et  le  Boston,  la  somme  de  quatre  cens 
mille  livres  argent  de  France,  que  pouvoient  valoir  les  deux  navires  Anglois  et 
leur  chargemens  qu'ils  ont  conduit  a  Nantes.  Je  vous  avoiie,  Monsieur,  que  je 
suis  enchante"  de  vous  transmettre  une  commission  aussi  agreable,  et  qui  prouvera 
aux  Ame*ricaines  combien  notre  Roy  est  bon  et  juste.  Vous  pouvez  tirer  sur 
moi  des  lettres  de  changes  pour  quatre-cens  mille  livres  en  m'envoyant  en  meme 
terns  les  pieces  les  plus  probantes  de  payement  que  vous  aurez  fait.  Si  depuis 
deux  mois,  il  m'avoit  e"te"  possible  de  vous  faire  passer  surement  une  lettre,  vous 
auriez  e"te"  plust6t  a  meme  de  regler  cette  affaire. 

J'ai  1'honneur  d'etre  tres  parfaitement  Monsieur, 

Vdtre  tres  humble  et  tres  obe"issant  serviteur, 

Signe"  LE  RAY  DE  CHAUMONT, 
Intendant  honoraire  de  1'Hotel  Royal  des  Invalides. 


APPENDIX  OF  DOCUMENTS.  105 


COPY  OF  M.  GRAND'S  GENERAL  ACCOUNT  OF  MONEY  RECEIVED  AND 
PAID  ON  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA. 

DR.     MESSRS.  FRANKLIN,  DEANE,  &  LEE,  their  account  with  F.  GRAND. 
June  1,    1  To  Mr.  Deane's  accepted  draft  of  Mr.  Williams,  3d 

of  June 15,029  02  05 

2  "  Mr.  Deane,  to  an  order  of  Mr.  Deane,  favor  of 

Monthieu 1,200  00  00 

3  "  Mr.  Deane,  of  two  drafts  of  Harcourt  des  Harre, 

of  6th  June,  5,000,  5,016        ....      10,016  00  00 

4  "   a  payment  the  widow  Dque.  Morel  &  Sons,  made 

to  Win.  Hodge  of  12,000  and  charges,  approved 

by  Mr.  Deane 12,083  00  00 

July        5   "   cash  to  Mr.  Deane  as  per  receipt       .         .        ..       2,400  00  00 

6  "        "      Monthieu,  by  order  of  Mr.  Deane  .        .     11,184  00  00 

7  "   Mr.  Deane's  acceptation  of  Williams's  draft  17th 

June 3,000  00  00 

8  "  Messrs.  Franklin  and  Deane's  drafts,  favor  Hol- 

ker,  for 10,000  00  00 

9  "  Mr.  Deane's  acceptation  of  Williams's  two  drafts 

9th  inst.,  3,000,  1,500 4,500  00  00 

10  "  a  payment  the  widow  Morel  &  Sons,  Dunkirk,  to 

Hodge,  and  charges,  19th      ....      15,098  12  00 

11  "  "  "  26th,  both  approved  by 

Mr.  Deane 2,606  02  00 

12  "  Mr.  Deane's  acceptation  of  a  draft  of  Williams's 

of  the  14th 1,200  00  00 

13  "  "  "  four  drafts  of  Williams's 

of  22d  and  26th  inst.,  1,200,  2,400, 1,500,  1,842       6,942  00  00 

14  "  Messrs.  Deane  and  Lee's  drafts  of  7th  inst.  to 

Mr.  Franklin 4,800  00  00 

15  "  Messrs.  Franklin,  Deane,  and  Lee's  drafts,  7th 

inst.  to  Holker  Son 10,000  00  00 

16  "   Mr.  Deane's  acceptation  of  Williams's  drafts  of 

26th  and  29th,  1,200,  2,847  7  8,  1,742  7       .       6,789  14  08 

17  "  "  "  "    28th,  3,000,  1,000       4,000  00  00 
Aug.  12,  18   "  Messrs.  Franklin  and  Deane's  order  of  llth  inst. 

to  Mr.  A.  Lee  .'  1  .  .  .  2,4000000 

19  "  "  "  "  14th  inst. 

to  M.  le  Roy  du  Chaumont  ....  2,448  00  00 
14 


106  APPENDIX  OF  DOCUMENTS. 

20  l*o  Mr.  Deane's  acceptation  of  Williams's  draft  of 

the  9th  inst 3,000  00  00 

21  "  "  "  14th  inst.  960,  960  1,920  00  00 

22  "   cash  to  Mr.  Deane,  29th  inst.  as  per  receipt       .  4,800  00  00 

23  "  Messrs.  Franklin  and  Deane's  order  of  the  25th 

inst.  favor  of  Sabattier  Son    .        .         .         .6,509  02  00 

24  "  "  "  "  "       25th 

inst.  favor  of  Holker  Son        .  2,8881307 

25  "  "  "  "  "      28th 

inst.  favor  of  Latour 1,827  08  00 

26  "  Messrs.  Franklin  and  Deane,  their  acceptation  of 

Williams's,  17th  June 1,257  06  00 

27  "  acceptance  of  Mr.  Deane  to  the  drafts  of  Thos. 

Bell,  bought,  4,490  11,  1,000         .        .        .       5,4901100 

28  "  acceptance  of  Mr.  Deane  to  the  drafts  of  Williams 

of  18th,  19th,  and  2Cth  inst.  .         .         .       9,306  00  00 

Sept.  14,  29    "   the  drafts  of  S.  J.  H.  Delap  of  Bordeaux,  30th 

August,  by  order  Mr.  Deane          .        .        .       5,000  00  00 

30  "  Mr.  Deane's  order  of  3d  inst.  favor  of  Monthieu     12,000  00  00 

31  "  "  "  "  "       Mr.  Reed, 

£25  15  sterling 538  11  06 

32  "  Mr.  Deane's  acceptation  of  Williams's  drafts,  6th 

and  9th  inst.  641  19,  3,600    ....       4,241  19  00 

33  "  cash  paid  Mr.  Deane,  16th  inst.         .        .        .       4,800  00  00 

34  "   Messrs.   Deane  and  Lee's  order,  16th  inst.  favor 

Reed,  for  £30  sterling  .        .        .        .        .          699  12  00 

35  "  Williams's  drafts,  2d  inst.  favor  Monthieu,  ap 

proved  by  Mr.  Deane 3,791  04  00 

36  "   Messrs.   Franklin  and  Deane's  order,  favor  of 

Latour,  Shoemaker 1,827  10  00 

37  "   order  of  Mr.  Deane,  22d  inst.  favor  of  Crury, 

2,400,  696     .        .        .        .        .        .        .       3,096  00  00 

38  "  drafts  of  S.  &  J.  H.  Delaps  of  Bordeaux,  13th 

inst.  approved  by  Mr.  Deane          .        .        .     30,000  00  00 

39  "  Mr.  Deane's  order,  favor  Mr.  Franklin,  25th  inst.       4,0010000 

40  "  "          acceptation  Williams's  drafts,  22d 

August 6,192  17  08 

41  "  S.  J.  Delap's  drafts,  20th  inst.  at  sight,  6,000, 

1,563  10,  by  order  Mr.  Deane        .        .        .       7,563  10  00 

42  "  Williams's  drafts,  28th  August,  accepted  by  Mr. 

Deane    .    • 3,801  15  00 

43  "  H.  Johnston's  drafts,  16th  inst.  accepted  by  Mr. 

Deane 13,342  06  00 


APPENDIX  OF   DOCUMENTS.  107 

44  To  the  drafts  of  Lamb.  Wickes,  14th  inst.  accepted 

by  Mr.  Deane        .        .        .        ,     '  .        .       6,000  00  00 

45  "  the  drafts  of  Williams,  2d  inst.  approved  by  Mr. 

Deane 1,200  00  00 

46  "  the  drafts  of  Thos.  Bell,  17th  inst.  accepted  by 

Mr.  Deane 486  00  00 

47  "  the  drafts  of  John  Williams  8th  inst.,  accepted  by 

Mr.  Deane 792  18  00 

48  "  Messrs.   Franklin  and  Deane's  order,  3d  inst. 

favor  Johnston 904  00  00 

49  "  cash  to  Mr.  Deane  on  his  receipt        .        .        .       2,400  00  00 
60   "   Mr.  Deane's  order,  favor  Merceir,  9th  inst.         .       1,200  00  00 

51  "  cash  to  Mr.  A.  Lee  on  his  receipt       .        .        .       4,800  00  00 

52  "   Messrs.  Franklin,  Deane,  and  Lee's  order,  favor 

Coder,  of  14th  inst 73,840  00  00 

53  "  Messrs.  Deane  and  Lee's  order,  19th  inst.  favor 

of  Druy 600  00  00 

54  "  J.  Sabattier  &  Sons  draft,  15th  Sept.  approved 

by  Franklin,  Deane,  and  Lee          .        .        .   306,910  18  00 

55  "   Lambert  Wickes's  draft,  14th  Sept.  accepted  by 

Mr.  Deane 3,484  18  06 

56  "  James  Nicholls's  draft,  16th  September,  accepted 

by  Mr.  Deane        ......       4,703  18  00 

57  "  Landais  of  Marseilles,  accepted  by  Mr.  Deane    .       3,627  19  00 

58  "  Williams's  draft  of  5th  and  7th  August,  approved 

by  Mr.  Deane        .        .        .        .        .  .  25,8000000 

59  "        "            "          5th  September,              "  480  00  00 

60  "   Mr.  Franklin's  order,  21st  inst.  favor  Caffery  .  2,932  00  00 
Nov.        61    "  cash  paid  Mr.  A.  Lee,  the  12th  inst.           .  .  2,400  00  00 

62  "  Messrs.  Franklin  and  Deane's  order,  of  the  15th 

inst.  favor  W.  F 8,000  00  00 

63  "  Mr.  Deane's  order,  favor  Monthieu    .         .         .  112,000  00  00 

64  "  cash  paid  Mr.  Deane,  20th  inst.  as  per  receipt  .  2,700  00  00 

65  "  Williams's  drafts  of  18th  and  19th  August,  ac 

cepted  by  Mr.  Deane 10,000  00  00 

66  "  Williams's  draft  of  6th  August,  accepted  by  Mr. 

Deane 1,200  00  00 

67  "   draft  of  Segury,  Beaujeard  Son  of  St.  Malo,  19th 

October,  by  Mr.  Deane       •   ..      .     •-.•'.       3,489  11  06 

68  "  Mr.   Deane's  order,  27th  inst.    favor  Gushing, 

£24  2  3  sterling 551  03  00 

69  "  Williams's  draft  2d  September,  favor  Monthieu, 

approved  by  Mr.  Deane          ....       7,500  00  00 


108  APPENDIX  OF  DOCUMENTS. 

70  To  drafts  of  Pellitier  du  Doyer,  favor  Mr.  Williams, 

14th  August,  by  Mr.  Deane   ....  15,500  00  00 

Decem.    71    "  cash  to  Mr.  A.  Lee 2,400  00  00 

72  "   Mr.  Franklin's  order  of        inst.  favor  Troyes    .  600  00  00 

73  "  cash  paid  Mr.  Deane,  llth  inst.          .         .         .  2,400  00  00 

74  "   draft  of  Pellitier  du  Doyer  of  Nantes,  14th  Aug. 

favor  Beaumont,  approved  by  Mr.  Deane         .  3,000  00  00 

75  "         "            "     llth  and  27th  Sept.         "            .  20,500  00  00 

76  "        "            "    25th  October,                   "            .  8,000  00  00 

77  "        "            "    llth  November,               "           .  4,000  00  00 

78  "        "            "    20th  December,               "           .  4,500  00  00 

79  "        "      Gardoqui  of  Bilboa,   18th  October,  ac 

cepted  by  Mr.  Deane 6,580  14  00 

80  "         "      J.  Williams,  26th  and  28th  August,  ac 

cepted  by  Mr.  Deane,  6,500,  2,764  7     .        .       9,264  07  00 

81  "        "      Pellitier  and  Doyer  of  Nantes,  14th  Sept. 

favor  Williams,  approved  by  Deane        .         .  9,799  08  00 

82  "  cash  paid  Mr.  A.  Lee,  23d  Nov.  as  per  receipt  .  22,519  05  06 

83  "        "         Mr.  Silas  Deane,  21st  Dec.     "            .  2,400  00  00 

84  "        "         Mr.  A.  Lee,  23d  Dec.             "            .  2,400  00  00 

85  "  Messrs.  Franklin  and  Deane's  order,  25th  Decem 

ber,  favor  de  la  Plaigne         ....       2,480  00  00 

86  "   draft  of  Coffin  of  Dunkirk,  12th  December,  ac 

cepted  by  Mr.  Deane      3,3000000 

87  "  draft  of  Messrs.  Franklin  and  Deane,  29th  Dec. 

order  Monthieu 6,416  00  00 

88  "  Messrs.  Franklin  and  Deane's  order,  29th  inst. 

favor  W.  J.  Franklin 2,400  00  00 

89  "  cash  to  Boux  Neveu,  as  per  receipt,  for  account, 

approved  by  Franklin  and  Deane   .         .         .  480  00  00 

90  "  draft  Morel  &  Sons  of  Dunkirk,  22d  December          1,008  10  00 

91  "   Messrs.  Franklin,  Deane,  and  Lee's  drafts,  21st 

November,  favor  Bauregard  .        .        .        .   119,061  00  00 

92  "  "  "  "  "          29th 

December,  favor  Monthieu     ....     60,000  00  00 

93  "  Horneau,  Tireau,  &  Co.  of  Amsterdam,  approved 

by  Franklin,  Deane,  &  Lee    ....     35,027  01  03 

94  "  "  "  "  "  9,232  03  00 

95  "  "  "          for  the  ship  the  Indian     72,000  00  00 

96  "  P.  Ct.  3,069  2  paid  by     "    to  Boux  of  Amster 

dam  for  the  Indian 6,649  00  00 

97  "  Francis  Coffin  of  Dunkirk,  his  draft  of  19th  De 

cember,  accepted  by  Mr.  Deane     .        .        .   '      938  02  03 


APPENDIX  OF  DOCUMENTS.  109 

98  To  W.  Hodge  of  Nantes,  his  draft  20th  December, 

accepted  by  Mr.  Deane        '.     '•".'       .:       .       3,0000000 

99  "   John  Hancock's  drafts,  favor  Sundries       .         .      17,400  00  00 
Jan'y.    100   "   Mr.  A.  Lee's  order,  favor  Byrd,  30  louis  d'ors    .  720  00  00 

101  "   Mr.  Deane's  acceptation  of  the  drafts  of  T.  Thom 

son,  Coffin     .        .    -  "i    •     .    •    i.                .  68,9840000 

102  "  cash  paid  Mr.  A.  Lee,  llth  inst.         .         .         .  4,800  00  00 

103  "   cash  paid  Mr.  Silas  Deane,  13th  inst.         .         .  4,000  00  00 

104  "  J.  Williams  of  Nantes,  from  18th  September  to 

10th  January,  of  which  500,000  was  approved 
of  by  Messrs.  Franklin,  Deane,  and  Lee,  rest 
by  Franklin  and  Deane 563,097  05  10 

105  "  my  commission  on  livres  1,290,275  6  7  at  J  per 

cent       ........        6,451  00  04 

6    "   postage  of  letters,  packets,  and  other  charges  on 

their  account 1,998  09  00 


1,962,903  04  01 

7  "   balance  of  the  above  account  of  the  15th  Janu 

ary,  1778 295,725  03  00 

8  "  Arnoux  de  Saulsaye  of  the  Orient,  drafts  6th 

July,  account  Indian 5,000  00  00 

9  "  E.  Haimann's  draft,  29th  December,  accepted  by 

Mr.  Deane 2,032  18  04 

10  "   Messrs.  Franklin  and  Deane's  order  of  the  20th 

January,  favor  Sabattier  &  Despres        .         .      49,165  17  07 

11  "  Borard  Brothers  of  the  Orient,  their  draft,  12th 

January,  accepted  by  Deane  ....       2,074  17  06 

12  ."  J.  Williams,  since  10th  January  to  20th,  on  ac 

count  of  the  credit  given  to  him  of  200,000  by 

Messrs.  Franklin  and  Deane  ....      30,862  09  09 

13  "   Sabattier  &  Sons'  drafts,  8th  January,  approved 

by  Messrs.  Franklin,  Deane,  and  Lee     .         .    153,963  17  04 

14  "  my  commission  on  243,100  at  £  per  cent    .         .        1,215  10  06 

15  "   postage  and  other  charges  from  15th  January  to 

24th      .         .         .         ....'.         .  52  14  00 

16  "  Williams's  draft,  2d  Sept.  omitted  in  last  account") 

2,000  00  I 

i     o  OKO  17  f\o 

17  "  draft  of  Samuel  Nicholson  of  Nantes,  8th  Nov.  f 

259  17 J 

18  "   Mr.  Franklin's  order  of  29th  January,  favor  Bois 

Martin  .         . 6,353  00  00 


110  APPENDIX  OF  DOCUMENTS. 

19  To  Mr.  Franklin's  order,  2d   February,  favor  Da- 

nets  and  Hennel 17,404  06  03 

20  "  cash  to  Mr.  A.  Lee 2,400  00  00 

21  "  Mr.  Deane's  order,  February  6,  favor  Holleville  609  00  00 

22  "   Mr.  Franklin's  same  day,  favor  Franklin,  Jr.     .  4,800  00  00 

23  "   Messrs.  Franklin,  Deane,  and  Lee's  orders,  6th 

February,  favor  W.  Lee,  Iz'd.,  48,000  48,000      96,000  00  00 

24  "  Mr.  Deane,  12th  February         ....       2,500  00  00 

25  "  Messrs.  Franklin,  Deane,  and  Lee's  drafts,  12th 

February,  favor  Captain  Courtier  .         .         .        1,433  14  03 

26  "  Mr.  Franklin  a  Bill  of  Exchange  on  London  for 

100  sterling,  a  31 2,322  00  00 

27  "  Mr.  Deane's  order,  6th  February,  favor  Captain 

Courtier,  £52  10  a  31J  .         .         .         .       1,200  00  00 

28  "  Messrs.  Franklin  and  Deane's  order  of  the  6th 

of  February  for  1 00  louis       ....  2,4000000 

29  "  Deane's  draft  of  Amsterdam,  8th  January,          .  2,400  00  00 

30  "  cash  to  Mr.  A.  Lee,  16th  January,  as  per  receipt  2,400  00  00 

31  "   Messrs.  Franklin  and  Deane's  orders,  18th  Jan. 

favor  Roy  de  Chaumont         ....     86,000  00  00 

32  "  cash  received  by  M.  Bourbonnette  5th  May  last, 

from  Horneca,  Fireaux,  &  Co.,  Amsterdam     .       4,351  05  03 

33  "   Thomas  Bell  of  Nantes,  his  draft,  6th  February, 

on  Mr.  Deane 570  14  00 

34  "  cash  to  Mr.  William  Lee,  February  28th,  as  per 

receipt 960  00  00 

35  "  Messrs.  Franklin  and  Deane's  order,  March  2d, 

favor  Blunden 3,600  00  00 

36  "  cash  to  Mr.  A.  Lee,  March  6th,  as  per  receipt  .       4,800  00  00 

37  "  Messrs.  Franklin  and  Deane's  order,  March  2d, 

favor  Blunden        .         .        .^  "  _.         .         .  2400000 

38  "  cash  to  Mr.  W.  Lee,  March  10th,  as  per  receipt        1,656  00  00 

39  "  J.  Hancock's  draft,  14th  Sept.  30  days,  order  the 

Chev.  Desbeusson 4,712  00  00 

40  "  cash  paid  Bondel  the  Printer    ....          246  00  00 

41  "  Horneca,  Fireaux,  &  Co.  draft  26th  January,  for 

their  remittance  4,000  Platina       .        .        .     20,213  17  06 

42  "  Sam.  Wharton  of  London,  17th  Feb.  approved  by 

Mr.  Deane 19,520  14  00 

43  "  Sam.  Darcy  of  Bordeaux,  21st  December,  on  S. 

Deane 4,800  00  00 

44  "  Mr.  Silas  Deane's  assignment  16th  March,  to 

James  Bornel  250  00  00 


APPENDIX   OF   DOCUMENTS.  Ill 

—  To  Mr.  Silas  Deane's  assignment,  17th  March,  to 

B.  Nicholson 240  00  00 

45  "  cash  paid  Mr.  W.  Lee  16th  March,  as  per  receipt  955  00  00 

46  "          "                "                "                       "  3,600  00  00 

47  "          "        Silas  Deane  17th  March,  as  per  receipt  4,8000000 

48  "   Leguy,  Beauregard,  Sons  &  Co.  of  Mario,  draft 

6th  of  March  on  Silas  Deane          ..."  523  00  00 

49  "  cash  paid  Silas  Deane  March  24,  as  per  receipt  2,400  00  00 
60   "  an  assignment  March  25th,  favor  W.  J.  Franklin  4,800  00  00 
51    "  J.  Williams's  drafts  since  last  account  to  this 

day,  28th  March 178,273  03  09 

rg  i  To  drafts  by  J.  Hancock  on  Commissioners  .        .  4,767  00  00 

54  To  assignment  of  Mr.  S.  Deane  25th  March,  to 

Johnson,  27  All  800,600        .        .        ...  1,400  00  00 
"  my  commission  on  livres  490,756  15  6  at  J  per 

cent 2,453  00  00 

"  postage  of  letters,  packets,  and  other  charges    .  441  10  00 


1,043,738  17  00 
On  which  sum  I  have  received          750,000  00  00 


293,738  17  00 

This  account  amounts  to  the  sum  of  two  hundred  ninety-three  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  thirty-eight  livres  seventeen  sous,  which  is  the  balance  due  to 
Ferdinand  Grand  this  day,  27th  March,  1778.  Errors  excepted. 

CREDITS,  1777. 

By  balance  settled  10th  June 664,178  1  1 

"  cash  5th  July 500,000  0  0 

"  a  remittance  of  S.  &  J.  Hans  Dellap,  account  M.  Crury  .        .  2,400  0  0 

"  cash  the  10th  October 500,000  0  0 

"  cash  6th  November  from  Lavabre  &  Doernir  Co.      .        .        .  600  0  0 


112  APPENDIX   OF   DOCUMENTS. 


MESSES.  FRANKLIN,  DEANE  &  CO.,  their  account  with  F.  GRAND  of  Paris. 
DR.  CR. 

Jan'y.    1  By  cash  from  those  gentlemen,  per  receipt     .         .         .   500,000  0  0 
Feb'ry.  2  To  cash  paid  to  L.  Mutter  of  Nantes  168  00  0 

3  "  M.  Boux  for  his  quarter        .         .  625  03  0 

4  "  M.  Chaumont  Mr.  Deane's  bills     .     180,000  00  0 
March.  5    "  Th.  Hyson  of  Dunkirk,  his  draft    .       15,169  11  0 

6    "  cash  to  Mr.  Hodge  at  Dunkirk      .         7,044  11  0 
April.     7    "  Mr.  Deane's  draft  9th  April,  on  sight      9,707165 

8  "  cash  paid  Mr.  Hodge  at  Dunkirk  .       12,075  16  0 

9  "  Horneau  Fireaux  his  drafts  (April)    300,000  00  0 

10  "  my  remittance  B,  1000  at  53 £  (April)      2,242199 

11  "  cash  to  Mr.  Hodge  at  Dunkirk      .       12,075  16  0 

12  "  Mr.  Deane's  order  favor  M.  Chaumont    8,729  15  0 

13  "  my  commission  on  559,848    .         .         2,795  04  0 

14  "  postage  of  letters          .        .        .  227140 

15  Balance  in  my  favor  carried  to  new  account  62,071  8  5 


livres  562,071  08  5       562,071  8  5 


April.               To  the  above  balance    .         .         .  62,071  08  5 

By  cash  from  the  above  gentlemen  500,000  0  0 

16  To  cash  paid  Mr.  Hodge  at  Dunkirk  9,377  15  3 

May.    17    "             "                "               "  8,093  11  3 

18  "  their  order  the  7th,  favor  Monthieu  220,000  00  0 

19  «           "                «                "  69,455  00  0 

20  "  cash  paid  Mr.  Hodge  at  Dunkirk  264  14  0 
June.   21    "          "                "                "  2,506  12  6 

22  "  their  order  favor  Sabattier    .         .  10,000  00  0 

23  "  Mr.  Ross,  his  draft  May  17  at  90  450,000  00  0 

By  cash  from  these  gentlemen    .         .  1,000,000  0  0 
By  discount  for  two  months  five  days  on 

450,000         .        .        .        .        .  3,250  0  0 

To  my  commission  on  1,438,000          .  7,190  00  0 

"  postage 112  15  0 

By  balance  due  by  those  gentlemen    .  664,178  01  1 

1,503,250  00  0    1,503,250  0  0 
Errors  excepted. 

To  Ross  by  Mr.  Grand          ....        450,000 
"      "         Jonathan  Williams      .        .        .          20,000 

470,000 


APPENDIX  OF   DOCUMENTS.  113 


EXTRACT  FROM  THE  BANKER  GRAND'S  ACCOUNT  OF  MONEY 
PAID  TO  MR.  HODGE. 

1777 

March  18  Pour  aulant  paye  a  M.  Hodge  a  Dunkerque  sur  le  credit 
1  24m  que  je  lui  avois  atable  chez  St.  Dque.  Morel 
et  Fils  et  d'Ordre  de  M.  Deane  avec  fraite          .      7,044  11  0 
April  16       "      autant  payes  a  M.  Hodge  a  Dunkerque  avec  fraite    12,075  16  0 
26       "  "  «  «  «  23,284  18  3 

28       "      ci  qui  a  e*te  paye"  a  M.  Wm.  Hodge  a  Dunkerque, 
sur  le  credit  qui  je  lui  avois  e"tab!6  chez  Ste.  Dque. 
Morel  et  Fils,  cet  article  ainsi  que  Ics  suivants 
semblables  sent  de  1'ordre  de  M.  Deane      .         .     9,377  15  3 
Mai      6       "  "  "  "  «  8,093  11  3 

Mai    17       "      autant  paye"  a  M.  Hodge  a  Dunkerque  .         .         .         264  14  0 
Juin     2       "  "  "  "  ...      2,508  12  6 

June    4  To  a  payment  the  widow  Dque.  Morel  &  Sons  made  to  Wm. 

Hodge  of  12, 000  and  charges,  approved  by  Mr.  Deane   12,083  00  0 

10    "         "        made  the  19th  to       "      and  charges  15,000    15,098  12  0 

"         "        both  approved  by  Mr.  Deane,  26th,  2,586     .      2,606  02  0 


92,441  06  3 


A  GENERAL  STATE  OF  THE  ACCOUNT  BETWEEN  THE  COMMISSION 
ERS  AT  PARIS  FROM  THE  UNITED "  STATES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA, 
AND  MONS.  GRAND,  BANKER,  SHOWING  WHAT  PUBLIC  MONEYS 
PASSED  THROUGH  MR.  DEANE'S  AND  THE  OTHER  COMMISSIONERS' 
HANDS,  REFERRED  TO  IN  MR.  DEANE'S  LETTER  TO  CONGRESS. 

Total  amount  of  moneys  received  by  the  Commissioners  to  the 

time  of  Mr.  Deane's  leaving  Paris      .         .        .        .        .8,753,2500000 
The  balance  due  to  M.  Grand  the  27th  March  last,  amounted  to     293,738  17  00 


Total  amount  of  expenditures  in  Dollars,  809,337f ;  in  livres  4,046,988  17  00 

The  same  particularized — 

To  Monsieur  Chaumont  for  2,000  barrels  powder  for  brass  can 
non  for  the  frigate  at  Nantes,  &c.  &c.      •  277,177  00  00 
"  Captain  Hyson  for  the  purchase  of  a  lugger  for  a  packet      .       15,169  11  00 

15 


114 


APPENDIX   OF   DOCUMENTS. 


To  Mr.  Hodge,  who  purchased  successively  two  cutters  at  Dun 
kirk,  &c.,  paid  the  expenses  of  Conyngham's  imprison 
ment,  &c.  &c.  ,v...  .,.,-•*--.-• 

"  Hornica,  Fitzeau,  &  Co.  at  Amsterdam,  for  the  building  a 
large  ship  of  war,  and  M.  Bouy's  expenses  307,274  12  06 

"  purchase  cordage,  &c.  for  said  ship     .         .     72,000  00  00 

"  pay  for  goods  purchased  there  by  Merkle, 

according  to  his  contract  with  Congress        44,259  04  03 

"  paid  "  for  gun-locks,  &c.  sent  to  Nantes 
to  Mr.  Williams,  as  was  also  the  goods 
bought  by  Merkle 20,213  17  06 

"  paid  "  for  moneys  paid  out  by  them  to 
Monsieur  Dumas  and  other  expenses  at 
Amsterdam  4,351  05  03 


92,729  10  03 


Total  paid  the  house  of  Hornica,  Fitzeaus,  &  Co. 

"  paidM.  Monthieu  for  his  magazine  at  Nantes  220,000  00  00 
"  cash  advanced  by  him  for  goods  bought  at 

Nantes 69,455  02  06 

"  "  "  "  "  11,184  00  00 
"  fusees  shipped  at  Marseilles  which  arrived 

at  Portsmouth 12,000  00  00 

"  freight  due  him 120,000  00  00 

"  so  much  in  part  of  his  contract  for  clothing  60,000  00  00 


cash  paid  Mr.  Ross  to  enable  him  to  pay  for  goods  purchased 
by  him  agreeable  to  his  contract  with  Congress 

cash  paid  Sabattier,  Desprez,  &  Co.  and  Mr.  Holker,  for 
15,000  suits  of  clothes,  &c , 

cash  paid  Desgray,  Beaugeard,  Fils  &  Co.  for  100  tons  of 
saltpetre  purchased  at  11  s.  the  pound,  or  5J  d.  sterling 

Mr.  W.  Lee  and  Mr.  Izard  for  their  expenses       .     -   .        , 

Monsieur  Coder  for  clothing 

Mr.  Jonathan  Williams  at  various  times       .... 

cash  paid  Monsieur  Monthieu  on  account     .... 

Dorets  Hornet  for  fusees  delivered  at  Nantes 

cash  to  the  orders  of  Captains  Thomson  and  Henman  for  re 
fitting  and  equipping  their  ships  at  L'Orient  . 

cash  paid  at  L'Orient  for  carriages  and  other  articles  for  the 

ship  building  at  Amsterdam 

N.  B.  She  was  to  have  been  brought  to  L'Orient  to  be 
armed. 

orders  of  Mr.  Hancock  paid        . 


448,098  19  06 


484,569  02  06 
450,000  00  00 
538,438  07  11 

119,061  00  00 
96,000  00  00 
73,840  00  00 

981,901  10  04 

6,416  00  00 

17,404  06  03 

70,092  17  08 
5,000  00  00 

35,909  00  00 


APPENDIX   OF   DOCUMENTS.  115 

To  paid  Messrs.  Delaps  for  sundry  supplies  and  disbursements 

to  the  Lexington  and  other  ships  .  .  ...  42,563  13  10 

"  amount  of  orders  paid  for  the  refitting  of  the  Lexington,  the 
Reprisal,  and  other  Continental  ships,  the  orders  drawn  by 
Captain  Weeks,  by  Captain  Johnson,  by  Captain  Nicholson, 
and  others,  as  may  be  seen  in  M.  Grand's  account,  D  D  .  48,262  03  10 

"  amount  of  what  the  Commissioners  paid  for  their  private 
expenses,  of  what  they  paid  for  expresses,  for  shoes,  and 
other  articles  bought  at  Paris  and  shipped  from  Nantes, 
with  other  disbursements,  as  may  be  seen  at  large  in  M. 
Grand's  account 244,285  13  11 


livres  4,046,988  17  00 


MR.  DEANE'S  ASSUMED  CONTRACT  WITH  M.  BEAUMARCHAIS. 

MEMOIRE   FOR   CLOTHING.     . 

12,500  aunes  of  blue  cloth  to  cost  nearly  8  livres  per  aune;  2,500  aunes  of 
cloth  of  the  following  colors  for  lapels  or  facings,  viz :  500  scarlet,  500  green, 
500  crimson,  500  buff  or  white,  500  yellow  or  orange  ;  25,000  aunes  of  shaloons 
for  lining  the  clothes,  of  the  value  of  about  1  livre  per  aune  of  blue  color;  7,000 
aunes  of  linen  for  lining  breeches,  and  other  use  in  making  up  the  clothes,  of  the 
value  of  1  livre  10  sous  per  aune  ;  2,000  pounds  sewing  thread  for  making  up  the 
clothes  of  a  blue  color;  100  pounds  blue  sewing  silk ;  10,000  dozen  of  coat  metal 
buttons,  plain  white;  10,000  dozen  of  vest  or  small  buttons,  plain;  30,000  aunes 
of  linen  for  shirts,  at  about  2  livres  per  aune ;  5,000  blankets ;  10,000  pair  stock 
ings,  white  woollen ;  4,000  aunes  of  blue  cloth  of  better  quality,  for  officers,  to 
cost  about  12  livres  per  aune;  1,000  aunes  for  facing  or  lapels  of  scarlet,  of 
green,  of  crimson,  of  buff,  or  white,  of  orange,  or  yellow,  of  each  an  equal  quan 
tity  ;  4,000  aunes  of  blue  shaloon  for  lining  the  above,  of  about  2  livres  per  aune 
value;  1,000  dozen  of  plain  white  metal  coat  buttons ;  2,000  dozen  plain  white 
metal  vest  buttons  or  small;  3,000  aunes  of  linen  for  officers'  shirts  of  2  livres 
10  sous  or  3  livres  per  aune;  500  pounds  weight  sewing  thread  for  making  up 
coarse  shirts. 

The  above  estimate  is  for  5,000  men  to  be  clothed  in  blue,  the  facings  to  be 
various  in  the  different  battalions,  consequently  30,000  men  will  take  six  times 
the  quantity,  in  the  whole  of  each  particular  article  above  mentioned,  which  fol 
lows  in  detail. 

N.  B.  It  is  unnecessary  to  repeat  here  the  particulars  of  each  color,  as  they 


116  APPENDIX  OF  DOCUMENTS. 

run  in  the  same  style  and  quantity,  only  varying  the  colors,  and  each  part  for 
5,000  men  is  put  up  distinct. 

OTHER   STORES. 

24,000  aunes  of  coarse  shagg  cloth,  of  woollen  of  5J  wide,  for  melas  or  Indian 
stockings,  so  called,  to  cost  2  10  or  3  livres  per  aune ;  of  this  quality  the  colors 
must  be  blue,  scarlet,  and  green,  an  equal  quantity  of  each;  also,  30,000  woollen 
caps  of  the  same  color  as  the  clothes,  in  equal  quantities,  viz:  5,000  of  blue, 
5,000  scarlet,  5,000  green,  5,000  brown  or  gray,  and  10,000  black,  the  latter  to 
go  with  the  pale  blue  and  gray  clothing  or  uniform;  also,  100  needles  of  the 
coarse  or  common  kind,  and  100  small  awls  for  the  soldiers  to  mend  their  clothes 
with;  also,  60,000  colored  handkerchiefs,  one  for  the  neck,  a  custom  among 
American  soldiers,  and  one  for  the  pocket;  also,  30,000  pair  of  cheap  shoe  and 
knee  buckles;  30,000  large  cutteau  knives;  600  boxes  of  tin  plates;  200  brass 
four-pounders;  88,315  balls;  27  nine-inch  brass  mortars;  12, 326  bombs;  30,000 
fusils;  60,000  gun  locks ;  6,000,000  of  flints;  200  or  100  tons  lead;  200  tons  of 
powder;  10,000  pair  hose  for  officers;  10,000  additional  blankets ;  10,000  addi 
tional  silk  handkerchiefs,  and  30,000  linen  handkerchiefs  with  several  smaller 
articles,  such  as  buttons,  buckles,  knives,  &c.  &c. 


M.  BEAUMARCHAIS'S  CONTRACT  WITH  MONTHIEU. 

WE  the  Subscribers,  John  Joseph  Monthieu  and  Roderique  Hortalez  &  Co., 
Mr.  Silas  Deane  being  present,  and  approving  of  the  following  settlement  for  the 
United  Colonies,  have  agreed  as  follows,  viz : — 

That  John  Joseph  Monthieu  promises  to  furnish  for  the  thirteen  United  Colo 
nies  of  North  America,  a  number  of  vessels  armed  for  war  and  loaded  with  stores 
and  goods  to  the  amount  of  sixteen  hundred  tons,  sufficient  to  carry  over  to  some 
of  the  ports  of  North  America  belonging  to  the  thirteen  United  States,  all  the 
stores  and  goods  of  which  the  amount  fixed  and  signed  by  us  is  valued  to  the 
weight  and  number  of  about  sixteen  hundred  tons  above  mentioned.  It  is  agreed 
that  he  shall  be  paid  for  sixteen  hundred  tons,  the  whole  contents  of  the  ships,  at 
the  rate  of  two  hundred  livres  per  ton ;  the  said  Monthieu  further  engages  to 
have  the  said  ships  ready  to  sail  from  the  ports  of  Havre,  Nantes,  and  Marseilles, 
to  the  order  of  Messrs.  Roderique  Hortalez  and  Co.,  viz.,  the  ship  which  is  to 
carry  over  the  passengers  mentioned  in  the  agreement  to  sail  from  Havre,  and 
that  sailing  from  Nantes  shall  be  ready  in  the  month  of  November,  and  the  others 
in  December  next,  on  the  condition  that  the  half  of  the  payment  for  the  above 
said  freight  at  the  rate  of  two  hundred  livres  for  each  ton  to  go  over  to  America 
and  come  back  to  France,  the  ships  being  likewise  loaded  in  their  return  for  the 


APPENDIX  OF   DOCUMENTS.  '  117 

account  of  the  thirteen  United  Colonies,  and  of  Messrs.  Roderique  Hortalez  & 
Co.,  who  are  accountable  for  the  same,  will  be  made  directly  in  ready  money, 
bills  of  exchange,  or  any  other  notes  of  hand  negotiable,  and  Messrs.  Hortalez  & 
Co.  will  engage  themselves  to  pay  me  the  same — the  other  half  part  of  the  agreed 
bargain  between  us  at  the  time  when  these  ships  will  sail ;  agreeing  besides  that  it 
will  be  paid  to  me  five  hundred  livres  for  the  passage  of  every  officer  or  gentleman 
not  belonging  to  the  ship,  two  hundred  and  fifty  livres  for  each  soldier  and  ser 
vant,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  for  each  seaman  passenger.  It  has  been  posi 
tively  settled  between  us  that  all  the  risks  of  sea  and  the  capture  of  the  said 
ships  are  entirely  on  the  account  of  the  Congress  of  the  United  Colonies,  and 
these  vessels  shall  be  paid  to  me  at  the  rate  on  which  each  of  these  vessels  will 
be  estimated  upon  the  bargain  which  has  been  made  by  me — engaging  to  give  to 
Messrs.  Hortalez  &  Co.  before  the  sailing  of  these  vessels  from  any  of  the  ports 
above  mentioned,  the  certificates  containing  the  price  of  the  purchase ;  and  last, 
it  is  agreed  that  if  the  Americans  detain  these  ships,  or  some  of  them,  more  than 
two  months  in  their  ports  without  loading  them  for  their  return  to  France,  all 
the  expenses,  wages,  and  appurtenances  from  the  day  of  the  arrival  of  these 
ships  in  the  ports  of  North  America  till  their  departure  from  these  same  ports, 
will  be  on  their  account  (two  months  excepted),  and  shall  be  paid  by  them  or  by 
Messrs.  Roderique  Hortalez  &  Co.  in  their  own  name,  and  answering  for  the 
Congress  of  the  United  Colonies.  We  agree  to  the  above  said  conditions,  and  we 
promise  to  fulfil  exactly  all  those  which  concerns  us,  in  faith  of  what  we  have 
signed  this  writing  the  15th  of  October,  1776. 

RODERIQUE  HORTALEZ  &  CO. 
MONTHIEU. 

SILAS  DEANE. 
Agent  for  the  thirteen  United  States  of  North  America. 


LETTER  OF  MR.  DEANE  TO  ROBERT  MORRIS. 

DEAR  SIR — 

Your  brother,  Mr.  T.  Morris,  came  to  town  the  14th,  and  I  was  informed 
that  evening  that  he  had  letters  from  you  to  me,  and  also  letters  in  which  the 
Commissioners  were  jointly  concerned.  I  have  since  his  arrival  repeatedly  ap 
plied  to  him  to  obtain  the  letters,  but  without  success ;  nor  has  he  communicated 
anything  to  the  Commissioners ;  nor  has  he  seen  them,  excepting  Mr.  Lee,  by  ac 
cident  at  a  public  walk  two  days  since.  A  friend  of  mine  showed  me  a  letter 
from  Mr.  Ross,  the  inclosed  No.  1  is  an  extract  of  it.  This  is  probably  all  I 
shall  know  of  the  contents,  as  I  have  no  reason  to  hope  that  the  original  will  ever 
come  to  my  hands.  This  you  will  suppose  is  sufficient  to  inform  me  in  what 


118  APPENDIX  OF  DOCUMENTS. 

manner  the  candid  and  friendly  part  I  have  acted  towards  you  has  been  repre 
sented,  and  how  you  have  resented  it.  I  should  be  "less  surprised,  were  I  not 
assured  that  Mr.  Bromfield  was  arrived,  and  that  you  must  have  received  my  let 
ter  by  him,  copy  of  which,  No.  2,  I  inclose  for  your  reperusal.  I  little  thought 
at  that  time  that  I  was  doing  what  would  occasion  me  the  loss  of  your  friendship, 
and  draw  on  me  your  reproaches,  affected  as  I  am  by  the  consequences,  for  I 
have  ever  held  your  friendship,  or  the  share  I  thought  I  had  in  it,  both  honora 
ble  and  agreeable ;  yet  were  I  again  in  the  same  situation,  I  would  again  act  the 
same  part,  which  you,  I  am  confident,  will  approve  when  you  are  acquainted  with 
the  whole  truth,  of  which  you  cannot  long  be  ignorant.  Your  brother's  conduct 
cannot  at  this  time  be  a  secret  in  America ;  it  is  therefore  unnecessary  for  me  to 
say  one  word  on  the  subject. 

As  many  of  the  Commissioners'  letters  may  have  failed,  I  take  the  liberty  of  in 
closing  an  extract  of  a  letter  wrote  jointly  by  Dr.  Franklin  and  myself  in  March 
last,  in  which  we  sent  an  extract  of  a  letter  from  Mr.  Lee,  who  had  been  at  Nantes 
and  was  then  at  Bordeaux.  This  letter  was  to  the  Committee,  and  consequently 
to  Congress.  We  wrote  one  also  previous  to  this,  to  the  Committee,  just  before  Mr. 
Lee's  going  to  Nantes,  in  which  your  brother's  conduct  was  mentioned ;  but  you 
will  observe  that  my  letter  by  Mr.  Bromfield,  of  the  5th  of  January,  was  the  first 
in  which  I  mentioned  your  brother's  conduct  as  being  in  my  opinion  bad  beyond 
recovery,  and  that  this  letter  was  directed  to  you  particularly.  I  might,  indeed, 
have  wrote  you  at  large  before,  had  I  been  willing  to  write  from  the  reports  of 
those  who  saw  him  in  London ;  but  the  prejudice  I  had  in  favor  of  his  abilities,  as 
well  as  the  friendship  I  had,  and  permit  me  still  to  entertain  for  you,  prevented 
my  saying  more  than  "that  I  feared  pleasure  had  got  too  strong  hold  of  him," 
which  expression  you  will  find  repeated  in  my  letter  of  November  and  December 
last ;  and  your  letter  to  me  expressed  the  same  fear  on  your  part. 

Letters  from  Mr.  Ross  at  Hamburg,  and  from  very  respectable  characters  in 
different  parts  of  Europe,  would  justify  much  more  than  what  I  have  ever  wrote 
or  said  to  you  or  to  the  Committee — to  the  latter  I  wrote  jointly  with  my 
colleagues. 

I  am  informed  that  you  complain  of  me  that  I  wrote  to  the  Congress  before  I 
informed  you  of  his  behavior ;  as  to  this,  the  dates  of  my  letters  will  show  that 
you  are  in  error,  which  I  suppose  was  occasioned  by  some  of  my  letters  being 
intercepted,  and  others  arriving  without  duplicates  of  the  first. 

I  refer  you  to  your  letter  to  me  by  Captain  Bell,  for  what  were  your  feelings 
and  distress  on  receiving  intelligence  of  what  was  your  brother's  mode  of  life, 
and  the  resolutions  you  took  upon  it ;  also  to  your  subsequent  letter  to  Mr.  Ross 
on  the  same  subject,  both  of  which  were  wrote  in  consequence  of  other  informa 
tion  than  mine.  I  must  also  refer  you  to  my  letter  by  Captain  Hammond,  and 
submit  to  your  cool  and  candid  determination  whether  I  acted  the  part  of  a  friend 
or  an  enemy.  I  confess  to  you,  that  Captain  Wilkes  at  that  time  gave  me  real 
hopes  that  matters  were  not  so  bad  as  both  he  and  I  as  well  as  every  one  else 


APPENDIX  OF  DOCUMENTS.  119 

have  since  found  them  to  have  been.  I  refer  you  to  Captain  Wilkes  on  this  sub 
ject  if  you  are  still  in  doubt — I  mean  with  respect  to  my  conduct  in  this  affair. 

I  am  informed,  for  I  have  not  the  advantage  of  the  letter  directed  for  me  open 
to  your  brother,  that  it  is  insinuated  that  interested  and  private  views  influenced 
me  to  write  as  I  did,  and  that  the  fixing  Mr.  Williams  at  Nantes  was  the  object  I 
had  in  view.  I  am  very  sorry  you  should  be  so  imposed  upon;  the  consequences 
must  ultimately  be  more  prejudicial  to  yourself  than  to  any  other  person.  In 
the  mean  time,  as  a  man  of  honor  I  assure  you,  I  have  neither  interest  or  connec 
tion  in  Mr.  Williams's  business,  nor  have  I  engaged  in  the  smallest  private 
concern,  except  what  you  have  been  acquainted  with,  and  which  you  know  was 
in  consequence  of  your  letter  in  June,  1776. 

Mr.  Williams  came  to  France  to  visit  Dr.  Franklin ;  he  was  in  a  good  way  of 
business  in  London,  where  he  was  entering  into  business  with  a  capital  house  in 
the  sugar  business.  England  was  disagreeable  to  him,  solely  on  account  of  the 
animosities  which  prevailed  among  individuals  on  account  of  the  public  quarrel. 
The  stores  which  I  had  engaged,  and  which  were  sent  out  in  the  Mercury  and 
Therese,  were  at  Nantes,  where  matters  had  been  so  conducted  that  you  must 
suppose  I  had  no  confidence  in  the  managers.  On  this  occasion,  I  applied  to  Mr. 
Williams,  as  a  friend,  to  make  a  journey  to  Nantes,  and  examine  the  goods  and 
see  them  shipped.  He  left  Paris  without  intending  to  tarry  longer  than  to  per 
form  this  business,  but  his  conduct  at  Nantes  was  so  much  the  reverse  of  what 
had  preceded,  that  every  one  who  wished  well  to  our  affairs  desired  he  might  be 
continued  there.  No  solicitations,  the  interest  of  my  country  was  my  sole  motive ; 
I  knew  he  served  it  faithfully,  and  I  knew  him  generous  and  disinterested  in  the 
service.  Yes  sir,  disinterested ;  and  you  will  acknowledge  it,  when  you  are  in 
formed  that  what  he  exacted  of  us  was  barely  a  sufficiency  to  support  him,  not 
amounting  to  one-fourth  of  one  per  cent,  on  the  business.  He  has,  if  I  am  to  have 
the  credit  of  fixing  him  there,  done  me  great  honor ;  he  has  at  the  same  time 
obtained  the  good  opinion  and  friendship  of  the  capital  persons  at  Nantes.  I  am 
thus  particular  on  this  subject,  as  I  am  well  convinced  it  has  been  represented  to 
you  very  differently ;  how  it  has  been  represented  I  know  not,  nor  am  I  like  to  be 
informed,  but  from  second-hand,  by  your  brother's  showing  your  letter  directed 
to  me,  to  Mr.  Ross,  and  telling  some  others  what  were  its  contents ;  and  that 
you  not  only  justified  his  conduct,  but  had  obtained  for  him  more  ample  appoint 
ments,  with  severe  reprimands  to  me,  and  even  oblique  censure  on  Dr.  Franklin, 
who  happens  to  be  Mr.  Williams's  uncle. 

It  is  hard  for  me,  acting  as  I  have  done  from  the  most  disinterested  motives, 
and  from  those  principles  of  friendship  which  shall  be  ever  sacred  with  me,  to 
have  been  thus  censured  by  you  unheard,  and  that  you  should  still  confide  so  far 
in  your  brother  as  to  put  the  censure  in  his  hands,  not  to  be  shown  to  me  but  to 
others.  I  wrote  the  5th  of  January,  you  would  almost  think  with  a  presentiment 
of  what  was  to  happen.  I  said  then  "that  I  would  not  be  angry,"  and  I  assure 
you  I  am  not,  but  I  am  exceedingly  hurt,  not  on  account  of  any  prejudice  your 


120  APPENDIX   OF   DOCUMENTS. 

brother's  conduct  will  in  the  end  do  me  particularly,  but  on  your  account  more 
immediately ;  for  myself,  I  know  you  will  justify  and  thank  me  for  the  part  I 
have  acted  when  you  know  the  whole  circumstances  of  the  affair.  I  say  on  your 
account  immediately — for  let  me  inform  you  of  what  it  is  probable  others  will 
not — it  is  reported  that  your  brother's  excesses,  though  no  way  comparable  to 
the  present,  were  known  to  you  several  years  before  he  left  America. 

The  friends  of  America  in  France,  as  well  as  the  Americans  themselves,  are  so 
surprised  to  find  him  still  continued  in  the  most  important,  as  well  as  the  most 
delicate  trust,  and  of  being  at  the  head  as  it  were  of  the  American  commerce  at 
this  critical  period,  and  at  the  same  time  are  grieved  to  see  the  effects  this  confi 
dence  has  on  him.  You  may  suppose  that  this  occasions  much  speculation,  not 
among  the  Americans  only,  but  among  the  merchants  of  Europe,  to  whom  the 
management  of  our  affairs  in  the  commercial  department  is  no  secret. 

Mr.  Ross  does  justice  to  the  character  you  gave  of  him.  I  expect  to  see  him 
in  Paris  in  a  few  days,  when  I  shall  show  him  what  I  now  write  you. 

I  have  not  the  least  desire  of  intermeddling  in  the  commercial  concerns  of  the 
Congress  in  Europe,  nor  of  going  out  of  my  own  department,  whatever  it  may  be, 
on  any  occasion ;  but  I  have  been  obliged  to  take  much  upon  my  hands  in  the 
procuring  supplies  of  clothing,  &c.,  as  have  also  my  colleagues,  on  account  of  the 
unhappy  situation  of  our  affairs  here  as  to  commerce.  I  will  not  add  to  a  letter 
already  long,  only  that  if  I  have  been  mistaken  in  anything,  you  will  reflect  that 
I  write  in  reply  to  a  part  of  one  of  yours  which  I  am  unable  to  procure  a  sight 
of,  and  assure  you  that  no  private  concern  affects  me  more  than  the  having  drawn 
on  myself  your  resentment  by  my  desire  of  serving  you ;  and  though  confident 
you  will  soon  be  disabused,  yet  I  fear  the  part  you  have  taken  for  your  brother 
in  this  affair,  though  you  have  doubtless  acted  from  the  most  natural  as  well  as 
generous  and  good  principles,  may  produce  consequences  which  none  but  your 
as  well  as  my  enemies  wish  for.  Be  assured  that  I  retain  the  highest  esteem 
and  respect. for  you  in  your  public  as  well  as  private  character,  and  am 
Your  sincere  friend  and  very  humble  servant, 

SILAS  DEANE. 

PARIS,  23c?  September,  1777. 


LETTER  FROM  SILAS  DEANE  TO  ROBERT  MORRIS. 

PARIS,  October  6,  1777. 
DEAR  SIR — 

After  closing  my  letters  of  the  23d  and  26th  ultimo,  which  I  presume  you  will 
lay  before  the  Congress,  Mr.  Morris,  on  the  27th,  called  on  me  and  said  he  had  a 
letter  from  you,  which,  though  directed  to  me,  respected  the  Commissioners,  and 


APPENDIX  OF   DOCUMENTS.  121 

therefore  he  chose  to  deliver  it  in  the  presence  of  Dr.  Franklin.  I  thereupon 
conducted  him  to  the  Dr.'s  apartments,  and  he  delivered  the  letter  to  him.  It  was 
open,  very  much  worn  and  dirty,  and  the  cover  in  which  it  was  wrapped,  with 
out  being  sealed,  was  superscribed  in  the  handwriting  of  Mr.  T.  Morris.  After 
Dr.  Franklin  had  read  the  letter,  Mr.  T.  Morris  told  us  we  had  written  to  Con 
gress  more  than  was  true  respecting  his  conduct,  that  the  Congress  were  of  this 
opinion,  and  that  he  should  hereafter  despise  us  and  treat  us  with  the  greatest 
contempt,  adding  other  insulting  expressions,  not  necessary  to  be  repeated;  to  all 
which  my  venerable  colleague  made  this  reply:  "It  gives  me  pleasure  to  be 
respected  by  men  who  are  themselves  respectable,  but  I  am  indifferent  to  the 
sentiments  of  those  of  a  different  character,  and  I  only  wish  that  your  future  con 
duct  may  be  such  as  to  entitle  you  to  the  approbation  of  your  honorable  constitu 
ents."  On  parting,  Mr.  T.  Morris  told  us  he  had  shown  the  letter  to  all  whom 
he  thought  his  friends,  and  having  copied  it,  he  should  continue  to  show  it  in  the 
same  manner.  How  public  it  may  soon  be  made  by  him,  or  those  he  communi 
cated  it  to,  I  know  not,  but  I  am  apprehensive  that  many  who  are  neither  friends 
to  him  nor  to  America  have  already  seen  it,  and  that  this  indiscreet  exposure  of 
it  may  give  our  enemies  an  opportunity  of  using  it  to  strengthen  their  accounts 
of  our  internal  divisions,  animosities,  &c.  I  must  also  inform  you  that  Mr.  Pen- 
net,  pretending  to  have  received  intelligence  from  you  of  what  I  wrote  to  Con 
gress  concerning  him,  has  had  the  assurance  to  send  me,  open,  by  Mr.  T.  Morris, 
an  insulting  and  menacing  letter,  which  had  also  been  shown  in  the  same  manner. 
But  such  proceedings  from  these  men  are  not  surprising,  after  you  have  not  only 
informed  them  of  what  we  had  written  to  Congress,  but  have,  as  I  understand, 
excited  them  to  resent  it:  though,  as  far  as  respects  your  brother,  you  yourself 
declare  that  you  believe  every  tittle  of  it.  The  extracts  which  I  inclosed  in  my  last 
will  evince  that  the  good  or  ill  opinion  of  such  men  cannot  affect  us  as  individu 
als,  though  I  must  confess  that  it  appears  derogatory  to  our  public  character,  as 
well  as  of  dangerous  example,  that  we  should  be  exposed  to  such  treatment  for 
having,  as  the  servants  of  the  public,  done  an  act  of  indispensate  duty  to  our 
constituents. 

Your  principal  cause  of  complaint  against  us,  as  stated  in  your  letter,  is  that 
"we  did  not  suppress  all  information  to  Congress  respecting  your  brother,  and 
convey  it  only  to  you  in  private,  because  your  letters  by  Captain  Bell  ought  to 
have  convinced  us  that  it  was  not  necessary,  and  that  you  did  not  wish  him  em 
ployed  in  the  public  service  if  he  did  not  deserve  it."  You  should,  however,  have 
reflected  (and  I  remark  it  once  for  all),  that  the  letters  by  Capt.  Bell,  on  which 
you  frequently  lay  so  much  stress,  did  not,  and  could  not  possibly  come  to  hand 
until  long  after  we  had  written  that  to  Congress  of  which  you  complain,  and 
your  brother's  conduct  had  then  become  so  flagrant  and  notorious,  that  we  did 
not  imagine  our  silence  would  have  preserved  to  him  a  good  name,  though  it 
must  have  appeared  like  a  culpable  sacrifice  of  public  duty  to  private  friendship, 

16 


122  APPENDIX  OF  DOCUMENTS. 

and  a  sacrifice  too,  which,  had  we  been  disposed  to  make,  did  not  appear  likely  to 
do  you  any  service.  Nor  would  this  have  been  otherwise  had  it  not  been  for  the 
present  very  limited  communication  from  Europe  to  America.  You  say  too  that,  in 
your  letter  by  Capt.  Bell,  you  had  put  your  brother  in  my  "power  to  be  confirmed 
in  his  employment  or  dismissed,  as  his  conduct  might  require."  The  letter  in 
question  was  written  by  you  in  your  private  capacity,  and  it  did  not  appear  to  me 
that  the  private  letter  of  any  individual  member  of  Congress  would  authorize  me 
to  displace  a  man  regularly  vested  by  Congress  with  powers  independent  of  those 
given  to  the  Commissioner.  Of  this  your  brother  appeared,  both  then  and  since, 
to  be  perfectly  sensible,  and  he  has  long  since  set  us  at  defiance.  It  seems,  there 
fore,  to  be  wrong  in  you  "  to  get  up  in  Congress  and  declare  that  you  had  put 
your  brother  in  my  power,"  &c.,  unless  Congress  had  given  you  special  power 
over  that  department,  which  indeed  appears  likely  to  have  been  the  case,  from 
your  declaring  "that  if  your  brother's  conduct  had  been  such  as  to  inspire  you 
with  perfect  confidence,  all  the  Commissioners  at  Paris  should  not  have  removed 
him."  However,  as  you  did  not  inform  me  of  your  having  such  special  authority, 
all  that  I  could  do,  in  consequence  of  your  letter,  was  privately  to  admonish  your 
brother,  and  endeavor  by  my  friendly  exertions,  if  possible,  to  reclaim  him ;  and 
that  I  was  desirous  of  doing  this  you  will  see  by  my  friendly  letter  of  *  *  * 

Respecting  the  information  of  gentlemen  at  Nantes,  I  shall  only  observe  that, 
interested  as  certain  persons  there  are  to  have  Mr.  T.  Morris  continued  in  his 
appointment,  it  is  not  surprising  that  they  should  represent  things  in  his  favor ; 
time,  however,  will  discover  who  has  really  done  «the  business  which  passed 
under  his  name,  and  in  what  manner  it  has  been  done ;  their  other  scandalous 
imputations  are  as  contemptible  as  they  are  wicked.  I  have  never  had  any 
"nephew,  cousin,  or  partner  to  provide  for,"  and  our  motives  respecting  Mr. 
Williams  have  been  truly  stated  in  my  letter  of  the  23d  ult.  You  will  before 
this  have  heard  that  the  Commissioners  committed  to  him  the  care  of  forwarding 
their  dispatches ;  we  had  good  reason  for  this  precaution,  arising  from  the  man 
ner  in  which  letters  to  and  from  America  were  understood  to  have  been  treated 
by  certain  persons  at  Nantes,  and  we  were  at  that  time  more  particularly  induced 
to  it  by  Captain  Hammond's  having  just  been  detained  near  a  fortnight  after  he 
had  received  from  us  dispatches  of  great  importance,  whereby  he  lost  the  advan 
tage  of  a  most  favorable  wind,  and  we  much  fear  he  has  been  himself  lost  in  con 
sequence  of  it,  having  heard  nothing  of  his  arrival. 

You  will  also,  I  suppose,  have  heard  that  the  Commissioners  authorized  Mr. 
Williams  to  sell  the  prizes  lately  made  by  Captains  Wilkes,  Johnson,  and  Nichol 
son  ;  for  this  too  we  had  sufficient  motives.  We  knew  that  in  Mr.  T.  Morris's  parox 
ysms  of  intemperance  and  debauchery  he  was  unfit  for  all  business,  and  shut  up 
from  all  access ;  that  these  paroxysms  usually  lasted  for  several  weeks  together 
without  a  single  hour's  omission,  and  that  there  were  but  very  short  intervals 
between  the  termination  of  one  paroxysm  and  the  commencement  of  another ; 
and  the  business  committed  to  him  not  being  done  by  himself  or  by  any  in 


APPENDIX   OF   DOCUMENTS.  123 

whom  we  could  confide,  but  by  persons  who  had  just  before  very  badly  disposed 
of  prizes  consigned  to  Mr.  Morris,  we  thought  the  step  we  took  a  necessary  act 
of  duty.  Mr.  T.  Morris,  however,  denied  both  our  general  authority  and  that  of 
your  letter  by  Capt.  Bell,  and  has  disposed  of  the  prizes,  and  left  us  to  pay  for 
the  repairs  and  other  expenses  of  the  Reprisal,  Lexington,  and  Dolphin,  amount 
ing  to  more  than  seventy  thousand  livres.  Mr.  T.  Morris  was  directed  by  Con 
gress  to  pay  us  ten  thousand  pounds  sterling,  but  so  early  as  in  January  last,  he 
boasted  that  we  were  in  his  power,  and  when  we  had  received  about  sixty  thou 
sand  livres  (not  three  thousand  pounds),  Gruel  and  Pennet,  who  manage  affairs 
as  they  please,  ordered  their  banker  at  Paris  to  stop  paying  us  any  more,  and  to 
protest  our  bills,  wickedly  hoping  by  that  manoeuvre  to  get  us  into  their  pgwer. 
Such  treatment  (and  I  represent  it  in  the  softest  light)  must,  I  think,  shock  the 
Congress  as  much  as  you  were  shocked  by  the  representation  we  made  to  them. 
Mr.  Lee  made  two  journeys,  one  to  Spain,  the  other  to  Berlin,  and  our  public 
characters  have  required  our  living  expeasively  here ;  this,  with  the  sums  we  have 
paid  for  expresses,  sent  to  and  dispatched  by  us,  and  those  we  have  advanced 
to  relieve  distressed  Americans  escaping  from  confinement  in  England,  soon 
exhausted  our  scanty  supply,  and  we  have  not  at  present  the  smallest  prospect 
of  receiving  any  more  of  the  ten  thousand  pounds  ordered  us.  This,  however, 
is  a  subject  more  proper  for  our  joint  representation,  than  for  my  answer  to  a 
letter  addressed  individually  to  me.  I  am  informed  that  Mr.  T.  Morris  like 
wise  shows  about  a  very  long  letter  from  you  to  him,  mentioning  among  other 
things  that  our  letters  respecting  him  had  been  read  in  Congress,  and  not  only 
disbelieved,  but  treated  with  indignity.  What  extraordinary  causes  have  been 
employed  to  produce  such  extraordinary  effects  I  know  not,  but  as  it  seems  the 
Congress  have  been  so  far  misled  as  to  doubt  whether  the  Commissioners  have 
not,  from  interested  views,  unjustly  accused  Mr.  T.  Morris,  it  becomes  necessary 
that  they  should  be  made  acquainted  with  what  I  have  written  to  you  on  this 
subject,  and  I  must  therefore  request  that  you  will  communicate  to  Congress  as 
well  the  present  letter  as  my  last,  with  the  several  extracts,  documents,  &c., 
inclosed  therewith.  I  have  the  honor  to  remain,  with  much  esteem, 

Dear  Sir,  your  most  obedient  servant, 

SILAS  DEANE. 


LETTER  OP  MR.  ROSS  TO  MR.  DEANE. 

DEAR  SIR — 

I  confirm  and  refer  you  to  my  last  by  the  Saturday's  post.  Permit  me  now  to 
inform  you  Mr.  Morris  is  possessed  of  the  instructions  to  Mr.  Lee  from  Com 
mittee  of  Congress  on  his  being  appointed  Commercial  Agent  here.  Since  your 


124  APPENDIX  OF  DOCUMENTS. 

last  letter  came  to  my  hand  I  suspected  this  to  be  the  case,  from  some  circumstances,  and 
by  accident  last  evening  learnt  it  to  be  so.  These  instructions  are  contained  in  a 
letter  addressed  to  Mr.  Lee  and  Mr.  Morris,  as  joint  agents,  which  is  similar  and 
of  equal  force  with  the  separate  powers  on  which  Mr.  Morris  has  acted  hitherto. 
I  therefore  take  the  liberty  to  recommend  Mr.  Lee's  repairing  hither  immediately, 
to  assume  the  management,  being  certain  Mr.  Morris  will  possess  him  of  this 
letter,  so  soon  as  they  meet,  though  kept  so  long  back,  probably  from  inattention. 
Am  pleased  Mr.  Lee's  objection  to  coming  here  is  so  far  removed  by  this  intima 
tion,  and  flatter  myself  to  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  him  in  Nantes  previous  to 
my  departure,  which  I  hope  may  be  the  next  week. 

I  am,  with  particular  respect, 

Dear  Sir,  your  most  obedient  servant, 

(Signed)  JOHN  ROSS. 

NANTES,  22d  July,  1777. 
To  SILAS  DEANB,  Esq. 


LETTER  FROM  MR.  SIMEON  DEANE  TO  THE  HON.  SILAS  DEANE,  ESQ. 
AND  SIR  GEORGE  GRAND,  INTERCEPTED  (BY  THE  ENGLISH),  AND 
PUBLISHED  IN  LLOYD'S  MORNING  POST,  AUGUST  26,  1778. 

HON.  SILAS  DEANE,  ESQ. 
DEAR  BHOTHEB. — 

I  wrote  you  immediately  after  my  arrival  in  the  frigate  Le  Sensible ;  also  three 
letters  from  Yorktown;  to  those  I  must  beg  leave  in  part  to  refer  you  for  the 
different  articles  of  intelligence  at  that  time  stirring;  also  the  various  manoau- 
vres,  and  appearances  of  parties  and  factions  so  notoriously  prevailing  in  this 
distracted  country.  I  am  sorry  to  think  that  such  epithets  may  ever  be  truly 
applied  to  any  respectable  public  body;  but  the  world  must  and  will  soon  judge, 
whether  certain  flagrant  transactions  proceed  from  these  motives  or  not. 

It  is  now  about  a  fortnight  since  I  left  Yorktown,  and  having  been  travelling 
in  different  parts  of  the  country,  have  missed  two  posts  from  thence,  otherwise 
should  have  had  letters  from  our  B.  D.,  also  from  Mr.  Holker,  who,  I  conclude, 
is  ere  now  at  Yorktown.  To-morrow  I  go  from  hence  again  to  Petersburg  and 
Richmond,  at  which  two  places  I  expect  to  make  my  stand.  I  am  sorry  not  to 
find  any  of  that  number  of  vessels  consigned  me  from  Europe ;  and  as  these  Capes 
have  been  so  closely  blocked  up,  I  expect  they  have  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the 
English,  except  some  few  who  have  got  into  North  Carolina,  and  have  then  thought 
proper  to  do  their  own  business,  which  is  a  practice  they  pretend  to  adopt,  however 
disadvantageous  to  their  owners.  But  they  very  often  bring  some  little  piddling 
fellow,  who  will  do  it  to  save  himself  the  commissions,  &c. 


APPENDIX   OF   DOCUMENTS.  125 

I  have  not  as  yet  had  any  intelligence  concerning  the  Union,  Capt.  Welsh,  from 
Cette,  nor  the  Two  Friends,  from  Nantes  ;  but  as  the  communication  is  at  present 
so  interrupted  both  by  land  and  water,  I  still  hope  they  are  somewhere  arrived, 
either  northward  or  southward.  If  they  were  here  with  such  valuable  cargoes 
as  theirs,  I  could  sell  for  £100,000,  and  procure  tobacco  at  £4  per  cent,  in  im 
mediate  payment.  Goods  are  very  high  here  and  scarce ;  but  should  these  Capes 
continue  open  for  a  few  weeks,  as  they  have  been  for  two  or  three  weeks  past, 
tobacco  would  rise,  and  goods  fall  very  fast.  Salt  was  yesterday  sold  by  the 
cargo  for  100  pounds  tobacco  for  two  bushels  ;  but  it  will  certainly  fall ;  indeed 
it  has  already  greatly  fell. 

My  flattering  expectations  in  this  country  are  greatly  checked  by  the  missing 
so  many  consignments ;  also  by  the  brigs  Two  Friends  and  Union,  still  unheard 
of.  However,  I  shall  still  continue  hereabouts,  and  try  to  get  what  business  I 
can ;  at  the  same  time  hope  you  will  not  fail  to  write  to  our  acquaintance  in 
Europe,  and  influence  their  consignments  in  my  behalf,  without  which  I  fear  I 
may  not  be  able  to  make  an  advantageous  settlement  here. 

Numerous  shoals  of  French  adventurers  are  crowding  over  in  every  ship,  and 
will  most  certainly  attempt  to  secure  the  consignments  of  their  countrymen  by 
every  artifice  in  their  power. 

I  have  wrote  to  Sir  George  Grand,  Mr.  Emery  &  Son,  and  Messrs.  Morell,  by 
this  conveyance,  and  would  write  to  all  my  other  acquaintance  in  France,  if  I 
could  write  in  French.  I  beg  you  to  inform  them  particularly  of  my  situation, 
and  influence  their  consignments ;  especially  my  partners,  Sabbatier  and  Despres, 
M.  Chaumont,  and  M.  Grand ;  also  all  our  other  acquaintance.  Pray  make  my 
apology  to  those  gentlemen  last  mentioned ;  assure  them  that  I  would  write  to 
them  if  I  could  write  French ;  and  whenever  I  can  get  a  French  clerk,  will  regu 
larly  write  to  them. 

I  am  much  at  a  loss  to  calculate  how  or  in  what  manner  you  will  proceed,  in 
consequence  of  the  unworthy  treatment  you  have  received ;  but  hope  that  if  you 
can  consistently  stay  in  France,  and  turn  your  views  to  commercial  matters, 
they  may  turn  to  great  advantage.  Indeed,  one  fortunate  adventure  at  this  criti 
cal  time,  makes  a  large  fortune.  M.  Beaumarchais's  large  ship,  Le  Tier  Rode- 
rique,  from  Rochfort,  is  in  York  River.  She  mounts  fifty-four  guns,  and  has 
nearly  discharged  her  cargo,  having  sold  to  the  State  of  Virginia  at  about  six  for 
one,  or  a  dollar  for  a  livre,  prime  cost.  She  was  said  to  have  been  consigned  to 
Franc,ois,  but  before  she  came  here  they  made  sale  of  the  goods,  &c.  Yesterday 
a  ship  also  arrived  mounting  forty  guns  ;  she  sold  her  cargo  in  New  London,  and 
is  come  to  load  with  tobacco.  I  have  not  yet  heard  her  name,  or  from  whence, 
but  expect  to  be  informed  this  evening. 

I  have  had  the  honor  to  wait  on  his  Excellency,  Governor  Henry,  and  also  on 
Colonel  Harrison.  These  gentlemen  have  been  exceedingly  polite  and  civil,  and  I 
doubt  not  are  your  and  my  real  friends.  The  gentleman  first  named  is  very  frank, 
and  speaks  concerning  the  plots  of  your  N.  E.  friends,  together  with  M from 


126  APPENDIX   OF   DOCUMENTS. 

this  State,  in  a  manner  unreserved.  Your  letter  to  him  he  inclosed,  and  sent  to 
Mr.  R.  Morris,  who,  he  thinks,  will  get  something  done  in  the  matter.  Mr. 

M ,  I  suppose,  has  convinced  you  of  the  mistake  he  made  concerning  his 

brother,  and  of  his  esteem  and  friendship  for  you.  They  are  attacking  him  in  a 
certain  great  and  mighty  assembly,  and  'tis  said  that  some  of  the  Southern 

are  joining  those  from  N.  E.  against  him ;  especially  the  present  P 1 

of  C . 

I  am  told  that  when  Mr.  H tn  of  B ,  the  late  p 1,  resigned  his  office, 

his  countrymen  of  N.  E.  vigorously  opposed  returning  him  the  thanks  of  C ss. 

The  two  A 's  from  N.  E.  are  both  strongly  against  him  and  yourself.  God 

knows  what  lengths  they  intend  by  their  factions ;  yet  depend,  they  are  indefati 
gable.  I  can  with  great  truth  assure  you,  that,  notwithstanding  their  treatment 
of  you,  and  charging  every  foreigner  to  your  account,  they  have  not  yet  dared 
to  attack  your  character,  further  than  to  say  you  were  in  trade,  &c.  This  has 
been  amply  blazed  by  the  imprudence  of  Mr.  Bromfield,  who  has  told  it  every 
where,  in  Virginia  and  the  Carolinas,  that  you  and  M.  M owned  a  quarter 

or  half  of  the  ship  commanded  by  Capt.  Roche.  The  effects  of  that  cargo,  I  be 
lieve,  are  here  (or  a  part  of  them),  in  his  possession  at  James  River,  and  in  case 
they  have  been  laid  out  into  tobacco,  last  June,  at  30  to  36,  may  turn  amazingly 
advantageous — but  whether  this  has  been  fully  done  or  not,  I  am  not  informed. 

His  Excellency  informs  me  that  a  Land  Office  will  likely  soon  be  opened  here 
on  very  advantageous  terms  for  the  sale  of********** 


LETTER  OF  MR.  DEANE  TO  PRESIDENT  OF  CONGRESS. 

PHILADELPHIA,  1st  November,  1778. 
Sm—  ^: 

I  think  it  unnecessary  to  make  any  apology  for  sending-you  the  inclosed  esti 
mates,  and  reflections  made  on  two  of  the  most  important  and  interesting  sub 
jects,  for  desiring  the  same  may  be  communicated  to  Congress ;  should  that 
honorable  body  approve  of  any  or  all  of  them,  I  shall  be  very  happy,  and  if  they 
should  not,  they  will  excuse  me  for  having  given  them  this  trouble,  when  they 
reflect  that  the  desire  of  throwing  some  light  on  these  subjects  has  been  my  sole 
motive. 

The  providing  for  the  redemption  of  our  money,  and  the  establishment  of  a 
marine,  are  objects  which,  in  my  view,  far  exceed  in  the  magnitude  and  extent  of 
their  importance,  any  that  are  at  present  under  public  consideration.  They 
greatly  depend  on  each  other,  and,  permit  me  to  say,  all  our  future  operations  in  a 
great  degree  depend  on  them.  We  cannot  pay  the  interest  of  any  considerable 
loan  without  commerce,  which  cannot  be  revived  effectually  without  a  marine 


APPENDIX   OF   DOCUMENTS.  127 

force  of  our  own,  which  may,  I  am  confident,  be  formed  on  the  inclosed  plan,  and 
be  ready  in  a  short  space  of  time  to  act  with  vigor.  Great  Britain  has  long  had 
the  empire  of  the  ocean,  and,  in  consequence,  the  whole  world  has  been  her  tribu 
tary.  Her  own  bad  policy  and  the  present  war  will  deprive  her  forever  of  that 
empire;  at  this  important  crisis,  it  depends  on  the  measures  taken  by  the  United 
States,  whether  they  shall  succeed  Great  Britain  or  not  in  this  extensive  do 
minion.  Reason,  observation,  and  experience  authorize  me  to  say  there  is  not 
in  the  world  any  power  so  capable  of  it,  and,  as  the  United  States  can  never  aim 
at  foreign  conquests,  but  simply  to  guard  their  own  coasts,  and  to  protect  the 
commerce  of  their  subjects,  their  superiority  at  sea  can  never  give  just  cause  of 
jealousy  or  offence  to  any  other  nation.  I  am  confident  that  a  fleet  of  forty  sail, 
to  consist  of  twenty  such  large  ships  as  I  have  described,  and  twenty  frigates, 
will  be  more  than  equal  to  their  purpose,  and  such  a  fleet  may  be  got  to  sea  in 
the  course  of  the  coming  year,  if  the  materials  wanted  from  Europe  can  be  pro 
cured,  which,  if  immediately  applied  for,  I  have  not  the  least  doubt  of. 
I  have  the  honor  to  remain,  with  much  respect,  Sir, 

Your  most  obedient  and  very  humble  servant, 

SILAS  DEANE. 

P.  S.  I  am  still  without  the  honor  of  any  answer  to  my  letter  of  the  7th  ult. 


November  13,  1778. 

After  writing  the  above,  my  apprehension  lest  I  should  be  thought  any  way  out 
of  the  usual  course  of  communicating  my  sentiments  to  Congress,  made  me  omit 
sending  it  to  you  with  the  inclosed ;  but  the  alarming  intelligence  which  I  received 
but  a  day  or  two  since,  of  the  sentiments  of  my  countrymen  in  different  parts, 
on  the  present  situation  of  the  credit  of  our  money,  the  state  of  our  finances 
and  resources,  and  of  the  temper  and  disposition  prevailing  in  consequence,  has 
made  me  waive  every  personal  consideration,  and  communicate  this,  <with  the  in 
closed,  to  Congress,  and  shall  count  it  one  of  the  happiest  occurrences  in  my  life 
if  anything  in  my  power  will  help  to  prevent  that  total  loss  of  public  as  well  as 
private  credit,  which  I  am  sorry  to  find  begins  to  be  almost  universally  appre 
hended — and  I  fear  appearances  at  this  time  are  in  support  of  such  apprehensions; 
which,  though  at  bottom  they  may  be  ill  founded,  yet  if  once  generally  prevail 
ing,  will  produce  consequences  easily  foreseen.  I  beg  leave  to  refer  to  Col.  Duer 
for  the  substance  of  the  intelligence  I  refer  to,  having  communicated  the  letters 
I  have  received  to  him ;  for  as  they  contain  many  things  merely  personal,  I  could 
not  lay  them  at  large  before  Congress. 


128  APPENDIX   OF   DOCUMENTS. 

LETTER  OF  MR.  DEANE  TO  PRESIDENT  OF  CONGRESS. 

PHILADELPHIA,  November  19,  1778. 
Sm— 

I  did  myself  the  honor  of  writing  to  you  on  the  7th  of  October  last,  and  having 
since  received  a  letter  from  Mr.  Williams,  I  send  it  inclosed,  to  show  to  Congress, 
that  the  moneys  mentioned  by  Mr.  A.  Lee  in  his  letter  of  the  1st  of  June  last, 
to  have  been  received  by  that  gentleman,  have,  in  the  opinion  of  two  of  the  Com 
missioners,  been  well  laid  out  and  faithfully  accounted  for.  It  gives  me  great 
pleasure  to  find  that  the  clothes  contracted  for  by  M.  Monthieu,  Messrs.  Holker, 
Sabbatier,  Desprez,  that  gentleman  and  others,  are  on  examination  approved  of 
and  allowed  to  be  the  best  of  the  kind,  both  as  to  the  quality  of  the  cloth  and  the 
fashion  they  are  made  in,  of  any  that  have  ever  been  imported.  It  is  indeed  a 
fortunate  circumstance  that  out  of  near  forty  thousand  suits  so  few  have  been 
intercepted.  As  Mr.  A.  Lee  in  his  letters,  has  insinuated  that  the  contracts  for 
these  clothes  were  made  entirely  by  me,  and  has  charged  me  with  great  extrava 
gance  in  them,  I  beg  leave  to  inform  Congress,  that  these  suits  complete,  and 
delivered  on  board,  do  not  cost  on  an  average  thirty-six  livres,  or  thirty-one  shil 
lings  and  sixpence  sterling  the  suit.  I  labored  hard  to  send  over  shoes,  stock 
ings,  and  shirts,  in  proportion,  and  so  far  as  it  was  effected,  the  suit  complete, 
with  shoes,  stockings,  and  shirt,  does  not  amount  in  the  whole  to  forty  shillings 
sterling.  These  facts  being  known,  I  am  content  to  take  on  myself  the  merit  or 
demerit  of  furnishing  these  supplies.  I  will  make  no  comment  on  the  dismission 
of  a  man  of  Mr.  Williams's  known  abilities,  integrity,  and  economy,  and  who  did 
the  business  of  the  public  for  two  per  cent.,  to  make  room  for  the  deputies  of  Mr. 
William  Lee,  who  shares  five  per  cent,  with  them,  nor  on  the  still  more  unaccount 
able  conduct  of  Mr.  A.  Lee,  in  ordering  bills,  accepted  by  Messrs.  Franklin  and 
Adams,  to  be  protested.  It  gives  me  pain  to  be  forced  to  lay  these  facts  before 
Congress,  but  cannot,  consistent  with  the  duty  I  owe  my  country,  nor  with  the 
justice  due  myself,  to  permit  them  and  others  of  the  like  nature  to  remain  longer 
concealed  from  public  view  and  examination.  My  letter  of  the  7th  ult.  covered 
observations  on  Mr.  Lee's  and  Mr.  Izard's  letter  to  Congress,  to  which  am  still 
without  the  honor  of  any  reply.  Nothing  would  give  me  greater  satisfaction 
than  to  learn  by  what  part  of  my  public  conduct  I  have  merited  the  neglect  with 
which  my  letters,  and  most  respectful  solicitations,  for  months  past,  to  be  heard 
before  Congress,  have  been  treated.  I  confess  that  I  once  flattered  myself  the 
services  that  I  performed  in  procuring  supplies,  and  sending  them  to  the  United 
States  at  the  most  critical  period  of  their  affairs,  and  in  assisting  to  bring  forward 
and  conclude  the  treaties,  together  with  the  honorable  testimonials  from  the 
Court  of  France  whilst  I  had  the  honor  of  residing  there,  would  have  merited  the 
approbation  of  Congress,  with  every  person  of  sensibility  and  honor :  to  imagine 


APPENDIX  OF   DOCUMENTS.  129 

what  must  be  my  disappointment  and  chagrin  to  find  myself  obliged  at  last  to 
leave  America  without  being  informed  if  exceptions  have  been  taken  to  any  part 
of  my  conduct,  or  -what  they  may  be.  Thus  situated,  though  I  can  but  feel  most 
sensibly,  yet  a  consciousness  of  the  integrity  and  zeal  which  have  ever  guided  and 
animated  my  conduct,  and  a  sense  of  the  important  services  I  have  been  so  for 
tunate  as  to  render  my  country,  with  the  confidence  I  have  that  justice  will  yet 
be  done  me,  support,  and  will  never  permit  me  to  forget  or  desert  myself  or  my 
country  whilst  in  my  power  to  be  useful.  I  took  the  liberty,  on  the  12th  inst.,  in 
writing  to  Congress,  again  to  remind  them  of  my  being  without  any  answer  to  my 
request,  and  having  wrote  already  repeatedly,  I  will  not  trouble  that  honorable 
body  further  on  the  subject  of  my  being  heard,  agreeable  to  what  by  their  resolu 
tions  which  recalled  me  and  since  I  hoped  for  and  had  reason  to  expect,  but  pray 
ing  them  to  accept  my  sincere  thanks  for  the  honor  they  did  me  in  appointing 
me  their  commercial  and  political  agent  in  Europe,  and  afterwards  one  of  their 
Commissioners  to  the  Court  of  France,  by  which  I  have  had  an  opportunity  of 
rendering  my  country  important  services.  I  have  only  to  repeat  my  former  re 
quest  that  orders  may  be  given  to  their  minister  at  the  Court  of  France,  to  have 
my  accounts  examined  and  settled  immediately  on  my  return  thither,  referring 
to  my  letter  of  the  7th  on  that  head,  and  entreating  for  a  speedy  resolution  on 
the  subject. 

I  have  the  honor  to  remain  with  the  most  profound  respect, 

Your  Excellency's  most  obedient  and  very  humble  servant, 

SILAS  DEANE. 

P.  S.  Since  writing  the  above,  I  am  informed  that  letters  have  been  received 
from  the  Honorable  Mr.  Lee,  and  read  in  Congress,  which  mention  certain  pro 
ceedings  of  Mr.  Hodge,  and  that  a  sum  of  money  had  been  paid  Mr.  S.  Wharton 
by  my  order,  without  the  knowledge  of  the  Commissioners,  and  which  I  left  un 
explained  and  accounted  for.  I  will  only  say  here,  that  any  insinuations  of  this 
kind  are  totally  groundless,  and  makes  me  feel  most  sensibly  what  I  suffer  by  not 
being  permitted  to  be  heard  before  Congress,  which  I  still  solicit  for. 


17 


130  APPENDIX  OF   DOCUMENTS. 

COPY  OF  J.  WILLIAMS'S  LETTER. 

PASST,  July  22,  1778. 
DEAE  SIR — 

I  wrote  you  a  few  days  since  by  a  little  vessel  from  Dunkirk,  which  I  hope  will 
get  safe  to  hand. 

There  is  a  wide  difference  between  the  state  of  our  affairs  here  at  this  time, 
and  during  your  residence ;  no  further  secrecy  is  necessary  in  any  operation, 
and  Government  readily  assists  instead  of  opposing  American  transactions;  now 
there  is  no  longer  any  vexation,  trouble,  or  danger.  The  transaction  of  the 
public  affairs  is  committed  to  those  who  did  not  dare  to  appear  when  they  were 
difficult  to  manage,  and  every  person  who  had  anything  to  do  with  you  is  shame 
fully  turned  aside,  because  *******  (pardon  the  repetition), 
because  it  was  yon  they  had  to  do  with ;  when  I  give  you  this  reason,  you  cannot 
be  at  a  loss  of  the  cause.  This,  however,  is  not  the  reason  given ;  it  is,  because 
the  simplicity  of  public  business  is  necessary  for  the  frugality  of  the  public 
money,  and  that  simplicity  requires  that  it  should  only  be  in  the  hands  of  Mr. 
L.'s  deputies  and  sub-deputies.  My  discharge,  therefore,  'tis  said,  does  not  pro 
ceed  from  any  prejudice  to  me,  for  whom  they  have  a  great  respect  and  esteem 
(these  are  the  words),  and  two  of  the  Commissioners  say  that  I  am  honest,  that 
I  have  good  commercial  abilities,  that  I  am  industrious,  that  the  money  I  have 
laid  out  has  been  very  beneficially  laid  out,  that  I  have  done  great  service  to  my 
country,  that  I  have  been  very  (nay  too)  reasonable  in  charging  two  per  cent, 
commission  when  all  the  other  agents  charge  five.  But  it  is  the  opinion  of  one 
that  frugality  requires  a  change;  this  establishes  the  new  doctrine  of  five  being 
less  than  two.  M.  Grand  and  I  exchanged  papers  the  other  day  of  a  very  singu 
lar  kind.  I  presented  him  with  the  approbation  of  two  of  the  Commissioners  for 
all  my  drafts — he  showed  me  the  disapprobation  of  one  of  them,  with  a  prohibition 
to  carry  said  bills  to  the  public  debt.  Of  all  the  disagreeable  dispositions  that 
the  world  produces  I  believe  this  one  stands  alone,  and,  without  prejudice  or 
passion,  I  am  sure  (and  it  is  an  universal  opinion  here),  that  he  can  never  have 
anything  to  do  in  any  business  without  defeating  its  purpose,  and  quarrelling 
with  all  who  has  any  concern  with  him.  I  have  been  here  near  two  months  to 
settle  my  accounts,  and  I  have  been  obliged  to  collect  vouchers  in  the  same  man 
ner  as  if  I  was  to  appear  at  a  bar  of  justice,  and  was  accused  of  fraud,  yet  I 
can't  get  them  examined. 

I  have  given  up  all  the  goods  that  were  in  my  possession,  and  the  magazine  is 
stopped. 

I  shall  make  no  comment  on  the  above,  so  far  as  it  relates  to  me,  nor  shall  I 
make  use  of  any  arguments  to  persuade  you  to  assist  me  with  your  interest  in 


APPENDIX   OF   DOCUMENTS.  131 

Congress.     If  you  think  me  still  deserving  I  shall  be  sure  of  your  friendship, 
and  I  have  no  right  to  expect  it  from  any  other  motive. 

War  is  begun,  several  captures  of  armed  vessels  have  been  made  on  both  sides, 
and  two  powerful  fleets  are  now  at  sea — Keppell  with  about  twenty-eight  sail 
of  the  line,  and  d'Orvilliers  with  about  thirty-two.  Every  hour  is  big  with  ex 
pectation  of  a  battle.  The  king  is  publicly  declared,  in  a  letter  to  the  admiral, 
that  he  is  determined  to  take  vengeance,  and  has  directed  his  ships  to  seize  and 
destroy  all  English  property  wherever  it  is  to  be  found. 

The  Spanish  galleons  are  arrived.  I  am  obliged  to  break  off,  but  will  take  up 
my  pen  again  as  soon  as  possible. 

I  am,  most  respectfully  and  affectionately, 

J.  WILLIAMS. 

Copy  original,  per  Capt.  Whipple. 


LETTER  OF  MR.  DEANE  TO  PRESIDENT  OF  CONGRESS. 

SIR— 

I  have  now  to  acknowledge  your  favors  of  10  o'clock  last  evening,  and  to  thank 
you  for  the  attention  paid  to  my  last  letter  to  you.  Previous  to  receiving  the 
intimation  you  have  given  me  "that  Congress  had  resolved  to  take  into  considera 
tion  their  foreign  affairs,  and  that  such  branches  as  I  had  been  particularly  con 
cerned  in,  would  in  due  course  become  the  subjects  of  deliberation,"  I  had 
prepared  to  leave  this  city,  and  had  made  my  arrangements  accordingly,  which 
will  not  be  in  my  power  to  dispense  with  for  any  time.  I  take  the  liberty  of 
mentioning  this,  as  I  do  not  find  in  the  intimation  you  have  given  me  of  the  reso 
lution  of  Congress,  any  time  fixed  for  my  attendance,  and  I  take  the  liberty  of 
repeating  what  I  have  before  had  the  honor  of  writing  to  you,  that  my  detention 
is  extremely  prejudicial  to  my  private  affairs,  and,  so  far  as  I  am  able  to  judge, 
in  some  degree  so,  to  those  of  the  public  which  I  have  had  the  honor  of  being 
entrusted  with,  some  of  which  require  my  presence  at  the  settlement  of  them, 
as  well  on  account  of  my  own  reputation  as  for  the  interest  of  the  United  States. 
I  have  the  honor  to  be,  with  much  respect, 

Sir,  your  most  obedient  and  very  humble  servant, 

SILAS  DEANE. 

FRIDAY,  4th  December,  1778. 

His  Excellency,  HENRY  LAURENS,  Esq. 


132  APPENDIX   OF   DOCUMENTS. 

4 


LETTER  OF  MR.  DEANE  TO  THE  SECRET  COMMITTEE. 

PARIS,  3d  September,  1777. 
GENTLEMEN — 

Captain  Landy  is  the  bearer  of  this ;  he  comes  in  the  Flammand,  loaded  with 
stores  for  America.  This  cargo  has,  by  a  succession  of  obstacles  thrown  in  the 
way,  been  delayed  from  January  last  to  a  most  prodigious  cost  and  expense;  I 
hope,  however,  that  it  may  finally  arrive  in  season  to  be  of  essential  service. 
Captain  Landy,  whom  I  have  mentioned  in  my  former  letters,  will  offer  his  ser 
vice  to  the  United  States ;  I  must  repeat  here,  what  I  have  wrote  before,  that  I 
find  him  to  be  a  skilful  seaman,  of  long  experience  in  every  part  of  the  world,  of 
good  judgment,  and  of  the  most  unsuspicious  honor  and  probity;  I  can  but  con 
sider  him  as  a  valuable  acquisition  to  our  navy.  My  agreement  with  M.  Mon- 
thieu,  the  owner  of  this  ship,  in  case  she  should  not  be  sold  in  America,  is,  that 
she  be  dispatched  with  a  cargo  of  tobacco,  as  soon  as  possible,  if  the  article  is  to 
be  had,  if  not,  with  such  articles  as  can  be  procured,  as  I  have  engaged  for  the 
freight  out  and  home,  and  you  are  sensible  of  the  necessity  of  having  remittances 
by  every  opportunity.  Whatever  this  ship  may  be  loaded  with,  I  pray  the  cargo 
may  come  to  Messrs.  Roderique,  Hortalez,  &  Co.,  as  they  have  advanced  for  the 
arms,  and  many  other  articles  of  this  cargo  over  and  above  their  other  large 
advances.  Tobacco  is  the  best  article  at  present  in  the  ports  of  France,  or  indeed 
any  part  of  Europe,  and  must  continue  so  for  a  very  considerable  time  yet  to 
come,  most  probably  for  twelve  months.  You  will  please  to  send  me  an  account 
of  the  cargo,  whatever  it  may  be,  that  you  ship  in  this  vessel,  and  duplicates  by 
others. 

I  have  the  honor  to  remain,  with  the  utmost  esteem  and  respect, 

Gentlemen,  your  most  obedient  and  very  humble  servant, 

SILAS  DEANE. 

To  the  Honorable, 
THE  SECRET  COMMITTEE. 


LETTER  OF  MR.  DEANE  TO  THE  COMMITTEE  FOR  FOREIGN  AFFAIRS. 

PARIS,  September  10,  1777. 
GENTLEMEN — 

This  will  be  handed  you  by  M.  Francy,  who  is  agent  to  Messrs.  Roderique, 
Hortalez,  &  Co.  You  will  see  by  the  bills  of  lading  the  quantity  of  stores  shipped 
by  that  house,  and  make  some  judgment  of  their  considerable  amount.  The 


APPENDIX  OF  DOCUMENTS.  133 

vessel  in  which  M.  Francy  comes  is  loaded  with  stores,  which  were  long  since 
engaged,  but  by  a  succession  of  obstacles  have  been  until  this  detained ;  I  still 
hope  they  will  come  in  safety,  and  in  season  to  be  of  service.  The  ship  will  be 
offered  you  to  purchase  if  she  suit  you,  and  if  not,  will  be  equally  agreeable  to 
have  her  returned  on  the  owner's  account.  I  could  not  say  anything  to  purchasing 
a  ship  without  knowing  more  of  her  than  I  could  know  of  this.  I  have,  therefore, 
left  it  to  your  option  to  pay  the  price  demanded  or  the  freight ;  the  latter  is  to 
be  what  is  at  this  time  customary  in  vessels  of  such  force,  which  not  being  pre 
cisely  fixed,  is  submitted  to  M.  Chaumont  by  the  advice  and  consent  of  my  col 
leagues.  It  will  probably  be  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  livres  per  ton  of  goods 
to  America,  and  back  to  France ;  it  will  not  exceed.  Messrs.  Roderique,  Horta- 
lez,  &  Co.  have  other  vessels  which  will  follow  this  in  a  short  time,  which  they 
want  to  have  dispatched  with  tobacco,  agreeable  to  what  they  formerly  wrote 
you,  and  M.  Francy  comes  partly  on  that  account — must  therefore  pray  you  to 
furnish  him  with  the  means  of  procuring  the  quantity  he  will  want  for  them,  in 
season.  The  cargo  of  the  Therese,  sent  by  the  way  of  St.  Domingo,  I  hope  is 
by  this  time  arrived :  it  was  so  valuable  that  it  was  thought  most  prudent  to  send 
it  by  that  route,  as  it  would  run  no  risk  in  getting  there,  whence  it  might  in  dif 
ferent  bottoms  be  got  into  the  continent,  without  the  considerable  risk  of  going 
direct.  As  the  vessels  of  Messrs.  Hortalez  &  Co.  will  arrive  at  a  time  when 
dispatch  will  be  of  the  utmost  consequence,  they  are  desirous  to  have  their  car 
goes  ready  on  their  arrival.  By  those  vessels  will  write  you  particularly  on  this 
subject,  and  in  the  mean  time  have  the  honor  to  be  with  the  greatest  respect, 

Gentlemen, 
Your  most  obedient  and  very  humble  servant, 

SILAS  DEANE. 
The  Honorable, 

THE  COMMITTEE  FOR  FOREIGN  AFFAIRS. 


LETTER  OF  MR.  DEANE  TO  HIS  EXCELLENCY  PRESIDENT  LAURENS. 

DELAWARE  BAT,  July  10,  1778. 
SIR— 

This  will  be  delivered  your  Excellency  by  Monsieur  Chouen,  who  comes  with 
letters  from  his  Excellency,  the  Comte  d'Estaing.  Permit  me  to  recommend  him 
to  your  favors,  and  desire  that  you  will  furnish  him  with  money  to  the  amount  of 
twenty  thousand  livres,  if  he  have  occasion  for  it,  and  the  same  will  be  accounted 
for  by  his  Excellency,  M.  Gerard,  as  I  have  already  mentioned  in  my  letter,  per 
Captain  Nicholson.  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  with  the  utmost  respect, 

Your  Excellency's  most  obedient  and  very  humble  servant, 

SILAS  DEANE. 


134  APPENDIX  OF   DOCUMENTS. 

LETTER  OF  MR.  DEANE  TO  HIS  EXCELLENCY  PRESIDENT  LAURENS. 

PHILADELPHIA,  September  8,  1778. 
SIR— 

I  pray  your  Excellency  to  remind  the  Congress  that  I  still  wait  to  receive  their 
orders,  and  though  I  am  sensible  that  they  have  many  and  important  affairs  un 
der  their  consideration,  yet  I  must  entreat  them  to  reflect  on  the  peculiar  situa 
tion  I  have  for  some  time  past  been  placed  in,  and  inform  me  if  they  desire  my 
further  attendance.  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  with  the  highest  respect, 

Your  Excellency's  most  obedient  and  very  humble  servant, 

SILAS  DEANE. 
His  Excellency, 

President  LAURENS. 


LETTER  OF  MR.  DEANE  TO  HIS  EXCELLENCY  H.  LAURENS. 

i  PHILADELPHIA,  September  24,  1778. 

SIR— 

Being  informed  that  letters  from  Mr.  Izard,  reflecting  on  my  character  and 
conduct  whilst  in  the  service  of  the  public  abroad,  have  been  read  in  Congress,  I 
have  to  ask  that  honorable  body  to  grant  me  copies  thereof,  and  that  I  may  be 
permitted  to  wait  on  Congress  and  to  be  heard  in  my  vindication.  I  have  that 
regard  for  Mr.  Izard's  opinion  of  my  ability  and  disposition  to  transact  public 
business,  which  I  ought  to  have,  and  am  consequently  easy  on  that  subject ;  but 
facts  asserted  which  affect  either,  call  for  an  explanation ;  those  indeed  which 
respect  myself  personally,  require  none  before  Congress,  nor  will  I  trouble  that 
honorable  body  with  the  making  any ;  but  those  which  regard  my  character  and 
conduct  as  a  public  minister,  and  in  so  important  a  transaction  as  that  of  the 
late  treaties  of  Paris,  call  on  me,  as  well  in  justice  to  the  public,  as  to  myself, 
for  an  explanation,  which  I  am  very  happy  in  the  having  it  in  my  power  to  give, 
as  well  as  in  the  confidence  I  have,  that  Congress  will  neither  delay,  nor  refuse 
doing  this  justice,  to  a  faithful  and  greatly  injured  servant  of  theirs. 
I  have  the  honor  to  be,  with  the  most  respectful  attachment, 

Your  Excellency's  most  obedient  and  very  humble  servant, 

SILAS  DEANE. 
His  Excellency, 
H.  LAURENS. 


APPENDIX  OF   DOCUMENTS.  135 

LETTER  OF  MR.  DEANE  TO  HIS  EXCELLENCY  JOHN  JAY. 

PHILADELPHIA,  12th  May,  1779. 
Sim— 

I  returned  last  evening,  and  now  send  you  the  New  York  papers  of  the  3d  and 
5th  inst.  You  will  much  oblige  me  by  informing  me  what  resolution  Congress 
have  come  to  on  my  letters  of  the  26th,  27th,  and  30th  ult.,  as  well  as  on  the 
petitions  I  have  repeatedly  made  to  them  for  the  settlement  of  the  business  on 
which  I  was  ordered  to  return  to  America  upon.  If  nothing  has  been  done  I 
pray  to  be  informed  when  I  may  depend  on  a  decisive  answer  from  Congress. 
I  have  the  honor  to  be,  with  the  most  sincere  respect, 

Sir,  your  most  obedient  aud  very  humble  servant, 

SILAS  DEANE. 

P.  S.  Mr.  Duane  has  the  paper  of  the  5th,  and  will  hand  it  to  you. 

His  Excellency, 

JOHN  JAY,  Esq. 


MR.  CARMICHAEL'S  ACCOUNT  WITH  MR.  DEANE  FROM  SEPTEMBER, 
1776,  TO  DECEMBER,  1777. 

WM.  CARMICHAEL,  in  account  with  the  HON.  SILAS  DEANE,  ESQ. 
1776 

Sept.  4.         Lent  Mr.  Deane 10  10  00 

5th  to  20th.  Sundries  paid 1  14  00 

Oct.  Paid  bills  for  wood,  fruit,  candles,   &c.,  &c.,   &c.,  of 

which  Mr.  Deane's  share  amounted  to        .         .         .  1  05  03 

Paid  Traiteur's  bill 71306 

Sundry  expenses  at  Versailles 1  16  00 

Nov.  &  Dec.  Expenses  in  Holland,  at  Hamburgh,  Berlin,  and  thence 

to  Paris 151  00  00 

Carriage  bought  at  Hamburgh 19  12  00 

1777       To  Ja  Fargne,  by  your  orders,  Hotel  de'Antragues        .  8  08  00 
January.       Expenses  at  to  and  from  Havre,  when  sent  to  expedite 

the  sailing  of  the  Andromeda,  &c 29  14  00 

Postage  of  parcels,  carriage  of  fusils,  &c.       ...       .        .  1  11  06 

Paid  by  your  order  to  Captain  Hynson,  for  Taylor's  bill, 

board,  &c.  for  which  you  have  his  receipt  to  Congress,  22  13  04 

Captain  Clerk  of  Newberry,        do 2  02  00 


136  APPENDIX   OF   DOCUMENTS. 

Lent  Mr.  Deane  in  gold 12  12  00 

Sundry  expenses  at  Versailles 1  05  00 

Carriage  hire  to  Dunkirk,  24  days          .         .         .  4  09  00 

June.  Expenses  to  and  from  Dunkirk,  when  sent  to  get  out 

Cunningham 30  06  04 

Paid  in  cash,  and  on  account  of  Smith,  sent  down  with 

me  as  surgeon  for        do.  .         .         .         .         .     10  11  00 

Expenses  to  from  and  at  Calais,  to  get  a  copy  of  Compte 

de  Maurepa's  letter  to  Lord  Mansfield        .         .         .       3  17  00 
July.  Paid  a  woman  at  Dunkirk  for  complaining  to  the  admi 

ralty  that  the  English  commissary,  Frayer,  had  en 
ticed  her  husband,  a  French  pilot,  into  the   British 

service 2  02  00 

November.    Cash,  &c.,  &c.,  &c 2  14  10 

December.     By  order  on  Dr.  Bancroft,  for  cash  taken  with  him  from 

me  but  not  disbursed  ,     40  00  00 


1776  CR. 

Sept.  &  Oct.  By  wine  merchant's  bill,  &c.,  &c.,  at  the  Hotel  De  Grand 

Villars '      . 

"  Taylor's  bill 

"  Surgeons'  and  Apothecaries'  bill       .... 

"  sundries 

November.      "  cash  from  Hodshon  at  Amsterdam    .         .         .         .     78  06  00 

"  Bill  of  Exchange  on  Hamburgh,  from  Mr.  Hodshon      100  00  00 

1777         "  cash  on  account  of  Captain  Hynson,  &c.    .         .         .     22  13  04 

May  &  June  "  cash  for  self •-..<•-.     12  12  00 

"  old  chaise :      .        .-       .       1  17  06 

"  cash  when  going  to  Dunkirk     ....       .  •  ,  .        .     62  10  00 

"  cash  borrowed          ,        f  .  .-    ..        ...         .31  10  00 

"  &c.,  &c.,  &c.,  &c.,  &c.      .         .       ;..  ..,.  .       .•..      ;.. 

The  above  is  verbatim  et  literatim,  a  copy  of  the  account  sent  to  me  by  Mr. 
Deane,  and  in  Mr.  Carmichael's  handwriting. 

ARTHUR  LEE. 
PARIS,  January  5,  1777. 


APPENDIX   OF   DOCUMENTS.  137 


LETTER  OF  MR.  CARMICHAEL  TO 


GENTLEMEN — 

The  arrival  of  my  papers  at  length  enables  me,  in  compliance  with  your 
desire,  to  reduce  to  writing  the  state  of  facts  which  I  had  the  honor  of  personally 
submitting  to  your  consideration  at  Yorktown.  I  have  been  under  the  necessity 
of  transcribing  in  full,  the  letters  annexed,  lest  it  should  be  imagined  something 
was  suppressed  which  might  operate  to  my  disadvantage.  I  hope  the  motive 
will  apologize  for  the  trouble  I  give  the  committee,  and  that  a  man  who  has  once 
suffered  by  injurious  suspicions  will  be  excused  for  excess  of  caution  in  future. 
I  know  not  what  resources  detected  guilt  may  find  for  consolation,  when  even 
innocence  cannot  protect  from  anxiety  the  man  who,  for  a  moment,  is  liable  to 
suffer  in  the  esteem  of  the  public.  I  therefore  entreat  you,  gentlemen,  to  lay 
this  correspondence  as  early  as  possible  before  the  honorable  Congress,  to  whose 
justice  I  am  under  the  highest  obligation  for  giving  me  the  opportunity  of 
making  my  defence  as  public  as  was  the  charge  against  me. 

Mr.  Arthur  Lee  having  given  as  a  reason  for  not  signing  a  letter,  written  un 
solicited  by  me,  to  the  committee  for  foreign  affairs,  by  B.  Franklin  and  Silas 
Deane,  Esqs.,  entrusting  their  dispatches  to  my  care,  "That  he  had  received 
information  within  the  space  of  a  few  days  that  my  political  sentiments  were  not 
the  same  in  the  commencement  of  the  dispute  as  they  then  appeared  to  be;" 
permit  me  to  observe  that  it  would  have  been  proper  in  him  to  have  mentioned , 
his  informant,  the  Congress  would  have  then  known  what  credibility  was  due  to 
evidence  which  induced  conclusions  so  unfavorable  to  the  character  of  a  man 
who  had  been  a  volunteer  near  eighteen  months  in  their  service. 

To  invalidate  the  truth  of  his  information,  I  refer  you,  gentlemen,  to  the  repre 
sentatives  of  the  State  of  which  I  am  a  native,  and  to  a  letter,  No.  1,  from  the 
chairman  of  the  committee  for  the  county  of  Kent,  my  place  of  residence.  This 
reference  will  best  decide  what  was  my  conduct,  and  what  my  political  opinions 
previous  to  my  departure  for  Europe  in  1774.  . 

I  think  too  highly  of  Mr.  Lee's  prudence  to  suppose  he  would  not  take  particu 
lar  pains  to  inquire  what  were  my  political  sentiments  in  England  before  he  en 
trusted  me  with  secrets  and  a  correspondence  which,  confided  to  improper  hands, 
might  have  endangered  his  liberty,  if  not  his  life.  But,  lest  his  prudence  should 
not  be  deemed  a  sufficient  evidence  in  my  favor,  I  beg  leave  to  refer  to  letters 
written  to  various  gentlemen  in  America  by  those  in  England,  whose  zeal  and 
attachment  are  as  well  known  to  Mr.  Lee  as  they  ought  to  be  to  every  American. 
One  of  these  gentlemen  is  the  particular  correspondent  of  Mr.  Arthur  Lee,  and  a 
trustee  or  attorney  in  England  for  Mr.  William  Lee.  These  letters,  now  in  the 

possession  of  Mr. ,  will  by  that  gentleman  be  readily  submitted  to  your 

perusal.     If  these  references  should  destroy  the  credibility  of  his  information, 

18 


138  APPENDIX  OF   DOCUMENTS. 

his  conclusions,  of  course,  fall  to  the  ground,  and  I  may  be  allowed  to  complain 
that  his  suspicions  should  be  particularly  pointed  at  me,  when  not  only  the  three 
Commissioners,  but  Dr.  Bancroft,  Mr.  Franklin,  jr.,  Messrs.  Beaumarchais, 
Chaumont,  and  the  two  Grands,  besides  others  whom  the  court  might  think 
necessary  to  trust,  knew  as  much  of  the  matter  as  myself,  or  more. 

The  suspicion  entertained  by  the  French  ministry,  that  the  secrets  respecting 
our  affairs  were  betrayed,  is  by  no  means  to  be  wondered  at ;  for  the  loss  of  Mr. 
Lee's  papers  at  Berlin,  gave  such  a  clue  to  the  English  Court  that  the  Commis 
sioners  could  not  have  concealed  the  operations  at  that  time  commenced,  unless, 
in  the  midst  of  them,  they  had  changed  their  whole  arrangement,  which  was 
impossible.  From  this  unfortunate  circumstance  arose  the  necessity  of  selling 
our  frigate  in  Holland,  and  many  obstacles  to  the  transportation  of  our  clothing 
from  Europe.  But  that  these  suspicions  were  not  particularly  levelled  at  me, 
will  appear  by  the  concealment  of  Mr.  Holker's  voyage  to  America,  and  the  object 
of  it,  from  Mr.  Lee  himself.  Indeed,  I  had  the  best  reason  to  suppose  that  I  was 
not  suspected,  for  I  was  apprised  of  the  favorable  intention  of  the  Court  of 
France,  though  not  circumstantially,  some  days  before  Mr.  Lee  knew  a  syllable 
of  the  matter.  I  am  charged  also  with  reporting  dissensions  among  the  Commis 
sioners  which  had  no  existence.  I  should  have  been  happy  that  there  were  none: 
I  have  taken  pains  to  conceal  them,  but,  at  the  very  time  alluded  to,  they  were 
public  at  every  coffee-house.  My  friend,  Mr.  Williams,  hath  put  into  my  hands 
copies  of  letters  to  justify  himself,  should  he  fall  under  Mr.  Lee's  censure,  which 
he  was  led  to  expect  from  attacks  made,  without  too  much  consideration,  upon 
the  reputation  of  other  gentlemen ;  to  one  of  these,  No.  2,  I  refer  to  show  the 
notoriety  of  these  differences  at  Nantes,  three  hundred  miles  distant  from  Paris, 
some  time  before  I  quitted  the  last-mentioned  city. 

I  come  now  to  explain  the  affair  of  the  Dictionary,  which,  after  being  buried 
sixteen  months  in  obscurity,  was  dragged  forth  to  corroborate  conclusions  drawn 
from  information  that  my  conduct  and  opinions  had  been  inimical  in  the  com 
mencement  of  the  dispute.  I  am  extremely  sorry  that  suspicions  hastily  ex 
pressed  upon  misinformation,  lay  me  under  the  necessity  of  producing  letters 
never  meant  for  the  public,  end  accusations  which  Mr.  Lee  hath  been  induced  to 
make  in  the  same  light  manner  against  others,  but  which  a  further  investigation 
hath  probably  erased  from  his  mind,  for  I  am  informed  that  he  hath  since  in 
trusted  dispatches  to  a  gentleman  whose  attachment  to  his  country  is  well 
known,  but  whom  he  once  styled  a  villain  of  the  first  magnitude,  as  will  appear 
by  No.  5  of  the  papers  annexed. 

Before  I  left  England,  which  was  in  the  spring  of  1776,  Mr.  Lee  and  many 
others  gave  me  letters  for  different  gentlemen  in  America,  and  as  we  had  agreed 
to  correspond  while  I  remained  in  France,  Mr.  Lee  also  gave  me  a  small  pocket 
Dictionary  to  serve  as  a  cipher  between  us,  the  method  of  which  he  then  ex 
plained  ;  and,  as  it  was  possible  I  might  be  taken,  he  pasted  two  small  pieces  of 
paper  between  the  blank  leaves  and  cover  of  the  Dictionary,  which  he  informed 


APPENDIX   OF  DOCUMENTS.  139 

me  contained  intelligence  for  the  Secret  Committee.  This  book  I  made  use  of  in 
France  for  the  purpose  for  which  it  was  originally  given,  until  the  arrival  of  Mr. 
Deane,  and  afterwards. 

As  soon  as  I  was  informed  of  this  gentleman's  public  mission,  I  addressed  him 
to  know  how  I  might  soonest  convey  these  letters  and  this  intelligence  to  America ; 
because  unhappily  my  bad  state  of  health,  which  had  long  detained  me  in  England, 
prevented  me  from  embarking  so  soon  as  I  hoped  and  intended.  When  Mr. 
Deane  was  informed  that  the  intelligence  came  from  Mr.  Lee,  he  told  me  that  he 
was  intrusted  by  the  Secret  Committee  to  correspond  with  him.  On  which,  and 
the  supposition  that  the  Dictionary  might  contain  some  particulars  relative  to  the 
situation  of  our  affairs  in  Europe,  essentially  necessary  for  Mr.  Deane  to  know  as 
early  as  possible,  and  which  it  would  have  been  the  duty  of  Mr.  Lee,  had  he  been 
on  the  spot,  to  have  communicated  instantly,  I  offered  to  put  the  Dictionary, 
with  its  contents,  into  Mr.  Deane's  hands.  I  had  no  knowledge  of  Mr.  Deane, 
other  than  the  public  character  he  sustained,  and  had  I  acted  in  this  transaction 
from  any  other  motive  than  what  merely  regarded  the  public  service,  he  would 
not  have  placed  the  confidence  in  me  he  soon  after  did,  a  confidence  by  me  unso 
licited,  and  productive  of  no  advantage  to  me,  except  the  pleasure  of  rendering 
myself  useful  to  the  public  by  assisting  him.  A  little  time  after  this  transaction, 
Mr.  Lee  came  to  Paris,  was  apprised  of  the  proceeding,  saw  the  Dictionary  in 
Mr.  Deane's  possession,  and  approved  of  the  reasons  which  occasioned  its  being 
communicated  to  him.  The  strongest  proofs  I  can  give  of  this  are  the  letters 
annexed,  our  intimacy  for  many  months  afterwards,  and  his  proffered  confidence 
to  take  me  as  his  secretary  to  the  Court  of  Berlin.  In  one  of  these  letters,  No.  7, 
you  will  see,  gentlemen,  in  what  manner  he  speaks  of  the  Dictionary.  Indeed, 
had  Mr.  Lee  thought  proper,  he  might  have  still  sent  it  on  with  its  contents,  Mr. 
Deane  having  had  no  proper  opportunity  of  conveyance  until  after  Mr.  Lee's 
return  to  England ;  why  he  did  not  do  it  proceeded  from  his  being  convinced  by 
Mr.  Deane  that  he  by  suspicions,  expressed  in  those  very  dispatches,  injured 
gentlemen  of  acknowledged  character  in  the  United  States.  On  this  occasion  I 
cannot  but  observe  that  deeply  as  my  feelings  are  wounded  by  the  unjust  asper 
sions  cast  upon  my  reputation,  it  is  some  consolation  to  reflect  that  the  same 
man  not  only  suspected  the  integrity  and  patriotism  of  General  Reed,  and  John 
Langdon,  Esq.,  of  New  Hampshire,  but  meant  to  convey  his  suspicions  to  Con 
gress.  Probably  another  reason  which  induced  him  to  wish  that  the  Dictionary 
might  not  be  sent  on  was,  that  he  discovered  the  account  given  in  it  of  the 
French  ministry  to  be  erroneous. 

This,  gentlemen,  is  the  history  of  a  business  which  is  revived  after  eighteen 
months'  silence,  during  which  Mr.  Lee  gave  me  strong  and  repeated  proofs  of 
public  and  private  confidence :  he  corresponded  with  me  from  that  period  until 
his  appointment  as  a  Commissioner  drew  him  from  England  to  France ;  he  re 
mained  on  the  same  terms  of  intimacy  during  his  residence  at  Paris,  and  until 
his  journey  to  Spain,  when  he  prayed  my  attention  to,  and  care  of,  a  nephew  he 


140  APPENDIX   OF   DOCUMENTS. 

left  behind  him.  He  corresponded  with  me  on  that  journey,  as  will  appear  by 
No.  8,  and,  finally,  on  his  return,  proposed  to  take  me  with  him  in  the  most  con 
fidential  capacity,  that  of  private  secretary,  to  Berlin ;  and,  although  he  was  dis 
pleased  at  my  refusal  to  attend  him  in  a  private  character,  yet  he  never  mentioned 
this  affair  until  some  time  after  I  left  Paris  on  my  way  to  America,  when,  in  terms 
which  appeared  extraordinary  to  me,  after  what  had  passed,  he  demanded  this 
book  to  be  given  up,  and  insinuated  the  charge  I  am  now  called  to  answer.  I 
consulted  my  respect  for  Congress,  and  the  business  I  was  charged  with,  and 
not  the  feelings  which  his  letter  occasioned.  I  therefore,  instead  of  returning  to 
Paris,  answered  him  that  the  book,  with  its  contents,  would  probably  be  delivered 
into  the  hands  of  those  for  whom  it  was  originally  intended.  If  that  is  not  done, 
the  annexed  paper,  No.  10,  will  show  that  it  is  not  my  fault. 

It  is  said  there  is  no  evil  from  which  some  good  may  not  be  extracted.  I  shall 
have  great  reason  to  think  so  in  the  present  instance,  if  my  conduct  meets  with 
your  approbation  as  it  did  that  of  Dr.  Franklin,  to  whom  I  addressed  a  letter 
recapitulating  the  preceding  facts,  and  appealing  to  the  testimony  of  Silas  Deane, 
Esq.,  who  is  now  on  the  spot,  to  render  me  justice.  With  Dr.  Franklin's  answer, 
No.  9,  I  shall  close  this  long  recital. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  gentlemen, 
Your  most  obliged  and  most  obedient  humble  servant, 

(Signed)  WILLIAM  CARMICHAEL. 

PHILADELPHIA,  6th  August,  1778. 


EXAMINATION  OF  MR.  CARMICHAEL 
BEFORE  CONGRESS. 


MR.  CARMICHAEL  having,  before  taking  the  oath  to  give  true 
answers,  to  speak  the  truth,  the  whole  truth,  and  nothing  but 
the  truth,  touching  such  questions  as  shall  be  asked,  intimated 
that,  as  he  might  be  embarrassed  by  the  novelty  of  his  situa 
tion,  he  wished  to  have  the  questions  propounded  to  him  in 
writing,  and  that  his  answers  might  be  received  in  writing,  that 
he  might  answer  with  that  clearness  and  precision  which  he 
could  wish. 

Ordered,  That  Mr.  Carmichael  be  informed  that  the  questions 
will  be  propounded  to  him  -by  the  Chair,  and  that  he  is  to 
answer  viva  voce,  but  that  if  he  should  find  himself  embar 
rassed,  time  will  be  given  him  in  the  House  for  recollection. 

September  28,  1778. 

Mr.  Carmichael  called  in  and  sworn. 

Q.  At  what  time  did  you  become  acquainted  with  Mr. 
Deane  ? 

A.  In  the  month  of  July  or  Xugust,  1776. 

Q.  Did  Mr.  Deane  acquaint  you  with  the  nature  of  his  mis 
sion  to  France,  and  at  what  time? 

A.  I  was  introduced  to  Mr.  Deane  by  Mr.  Eogers,  of  Mary- 


142  EXAMINATION   OF   MR.   CARMICHAEL. 

land,  who  informed  him  I  was  zealously  attached  to  the  interest 
of  America,  and  some  time  after  Mr.  Deane  acquainted  me  with 
the  nature  of  his  mission. 

Q.  How  long  after  being  introduced  to  Mr.  Deane  were  you 
acquainted  with  the  nature  of  his  mission? 

A.  I  cannot  recollect  precisely. 

Q.  Did  you  assist  Mr.  Deane  in  his  public  business  ? 

A.  On  knowing  the  nature  of  his  mission,  I  offered  to  assist 
Mr.  Deane  in  any  way  in  my  power,  while  I  was  in  France. 

Q.  Did  Mr.  Deane  accept  your  offer  ? 

A.  He  did. 

Q.  In  what  respect  did  you  assist  Mr.  Deane? 

A.  In  various  respects ;  I  assisted  him  in  copying  letters  and 
in  conversations. 

Q.  During  the  time  you  assisted  Mr.  Deane,  were  you  ac 
quainted  with  the  receipts  and  expenditure  of  public  moneys 
which  passed  through  his  hands  ? 

A.  I  knew  Mr.  Deane  received  money  and  made  purchases 
and  contracts  on  the  public  account,  but  as  I  never  wished  to 
charge  myself,  or  make  myself  responsible  where  I  could  have 
no  merit,  I  did  not  pay  sufficient  attention  to  answer  with  pre 
cision. 

Q.  Do  you  know  whether  Mr.  Deane  misapplied  the  public 
money,  or  converted  any  of  it  to  his  own  use  ? 

A.  My  answer  to  the  former  question  will  show  that  I  am 
not  an  adequate  judge  of  the  application  of  public  money,  and 
cannot  answer  with  precision ;  at  the  same  time  would  entreat 
that  the  House  would  not  put  an  interpretation  on  my  silence 
to  the  prejudice  of  any  person  whatever. 

Q.  From  the  knowledge  you  had  of  Mr.  Deane's  transactions, 
do  you  recollect  any  instance  which  you  apprehend  to  be  a 
misapplication  of  the  public  money  ? 

A.  I  beg  to  know  whether  I  am  to  answer  from  my  know 
ledge,  or  suppositions,  or  opinions  in  my  own  mind. 

Ordered,  That  Mr.  Carmichael  withdraw. 


EXAMINATION   OF   MB.   CARMICHAEL. 


143 


On  the  question  whether  the  last  be  a  proper  question,  the 
yeas  and  nays  being  required  by  Mr.  Marchant — 


New  Hampshire Mr. 

Massachusetts Mr. 


Rhode.  Island. 
Connecticut ... 
New  York.... 


Bartlett Ay. — Ay. 

S.  Adan^s Ay.~\ 

Gerry Ay.  \  Ay. 

Holton Ay.  J 

Marchant Ay. — Ay. 

A.  Adams Ay. — Ay. 


,Mr. 
.Mr. 
.Mr.  Lewis ...Ay. 


Pennsylvania , 
Maryland 


.Mr. 
.Mr. 


G.  Morris Ay.  ] 

E.  Morris Ay.  |    . 

Clingan Ay.  ) 


Chase No.~] 

Plater No.  \ 

Stone No.  [-No. 

Forbes No. 

Henry No.  „ 

Virginia Mr.  Harvey No.  ~} 

E.  H.  Lee Ay.  1 

M.  Smith Ay.  [ 

Griffin -^2/-J 

North  Carolina Mr.  Penn Ay.^\ 

Harnet No.  \-No. 

Williams No.} 

South  Carolina Mr.  Laurens Ay.  ~] 

Drayton Ay.  \-  Ay. 

Matthews No.  J 

Georgia Mr.  Walton Ay.  "] 

Telfair Ay.  \Ay. 

Lang  worthy No.  J 

So  it  was  resolved  in  the  affirmative. 

Ordered,  That  Mr.  Carmichael  attend  at  the  bar  on  Wednes 
day  next,  at  ten  o'clock,  to  be  further  examined. 


144  EXAMINATION   OF   MR.   CARMICHAEL. 

Wednesday. 

The  last  question  proposed. 

Although  I  think  the  House,  by  their  determination,  has  put 
me  into  a  very  delicate,  and  to  me,  disagreeable  situation,  as  I 
am  desirous  of  giving  the  House  every  information,  I  am  ready 
to  answer  the  question,  provided  the  question  relates  to  appre 
hensions  that  may  have  arisen  on  what  I  conceived  to  be  fact 
at  the  time. 

A.  I  do. 

Q.  What  were  the  instances? 

A.  The  instance  I  allude  to  particularly,  was  the  equipping 
a  vessel  of  war,  where  I  apprehend  the  public  money  had  been 
appropriated  to  private  uses. 

Q.  What  vessel  was  it  you  allude  to? 

A.  It  was  a  vessel  intended  to  be  equipped  in  the  Mediter 
ranean,  partly  at  the  expense  of  the  public,  and  partly  of  indi 
viduals. 

Q.  The  name  of  the  Captain  and  of  the  vessel  ? 

A.  The  name  of  the  Captain  intended  to  be  employed  was 
Bell;  as  there  were  vessels  bought  which  were  afterwards 
obliged  to  be  given  up,  there  was  no  name  given  to  any  of 
them  that  I  recollect. 

Q.  From  what  circumstances  do  you  apprehend  that  there 
was  a  misapplication? 

A.  From  this  circumstance,  that  Mr.  Deane  having  received 
money  from  M.  Beaumarchais,  which  I  conceived  to  be  public 
money,  did  appropriate  it  to  private  uses,  that  is,  in  the  pur 
chase  of  those  vessels  as  far  as  it  regarded  individuals. 

Q.  Why  did  you  suppose  that  to  be  public  money? 

A.  Because  M.  Beaumarchais  having,  as  I  apprehended,  ad 
vanced  before  to  the  public  to  a  large  amount,  I  thought  it  was 
likewise  on  the  public  credit  he  advanced  this  sum. 

Q.  Are  you  clear  there  were  more  vessels  than  one  bought 
in  the  Mediterranean? 


EXAMINATION   OF   MB.   CARMICHAEL.  145 

A.  There  was  but  one  intended  to  be  bought,  but  the  person 
employed  bought  two,  as  I  understood. 

Q.  Who  compelled  the  giving  up  of  the  vessels? 

A.  I  understood  the  State  of  Genoa  had  interposed  and 
compelled  the  purchaser  to  restore  them  to  the  original  pro 
prietors. 

Q.  What  were  the  names  of  the  private  persons  that  were  to 
have  been  concerned  with  the  public  in  those  vessels  ? 

A.  I  do  not  recollect  all  the  private  names. 

Q.  Do  you  recollect  any  ? 

A.  I  understood  M.  Beaumarchais  was  to  have  been  con 
cerned. 

Q.  Do  you  recollect  any  other? 

A.  I  understood  that  Mr.  Thomas  Morris  was  to  have  been 
concerned  for  others,  but  who  those  others  were  I  cannot  posi 
tively  say. 

Q.  Was  Mr.  Deane  to  have  been  concerned  in  his  private 
capacity  ? 

A.  I  do  not  know  that  he  was. 

Q.  Did  you  understand  or  were  you  informed  that  Mr. 
Deane  was  to  have  been  concerned  in  his  private  capacity  ? 

A.  I  did  not  receive  such  information  as  to  induce  me  to 
believe  he  was  concerned. 

Q.  If  you  did  not  believe  that  Mr.  Deane  was  concerned  in 
his  private  capacity  in  those  vessels,  what  did  you  mean  when 
you  said  that  you  apprehended  the  public  money  was  applied 
to  private  purposes  in  that  instance  ? 

A.  I  meant  that  I  thought  Mr.  Deane  had  applied  the  public 
money  to  supply  the  deficiency  of  the  money  that  others  were 
to  have  advanced,  but  did  not,  towards  the  purpose  of  fitting 
out  these  vessels. 

Q,  On  what  grounds  did  you  think  that  Mr.  Deane  meant  to 
supply  those  deficiencies? 

A.  From  conversations  with  divers  persons,  and  other  occur 
rences  at  that  period. 
19 


146  EXAMINATION  OF  MR.  CARMICHAEL. 

The  last  question  and  answer  being  read,  Mr.  C.  gave  this 
explanation : — 

The  idea  I  meant  to  convey  to  the  House  was  this :  I  appre 
hended  Mr.  Deane  had  applied  the  money  which  I  conceived  to 
be  public,  to  a  private  use.  I  judge  that  I  had  my  information 
of  Mr.  Deane's  receipt  of  the  money  from  M.  Beaumarchais, 
Mr.  Deane  himself,  and  others,  but  that  this  information  was 
merely  of  the  fact  that  he  received  it,  not  whether  it  was  public 
or  private  money  which  he  had  received  and  so  applied. 

Q.  What  persons? 

A.  I  apprehend  Mr.  Deane  and  M.  Beaumarchais  were  two 
of  the  persons  that  informed  me  at  that  time. 

Q.  Were  the  other  Commissioners  or  either  of  them  ac 
quainted  with  this  transaction  ? 

A.  I  apprehend  Dr.  Franklin  was  acquainted  with  the  fitting 
out  these  vessels.  I  cannot  charge  my  memory  whether  Mr. 
A.  Lee  was  then  at  Paris  or  not. 

Q.  Are  you  sure  that  Mr.  Deane  and  M.  Beaumarchais  were 
two  of  the  persons  with  whom  you  had  the  conversations  you 
before  mentioned? 

A.  I  apprehend  from  the  nature  of  the  transaction  it  must 
have  been  these  persons,  but  I  cannot  be  sure. 

Q.  By  Mr.  Adams.  Whether  from  conversation  with  other 
persons  or  from  other  occurrences,  he  had  reason  to  believe 
Mr.  Deane  had  advanced  or  was  to  have  advanced  moneys  to 
make  up  these  deficiencies? 

A.  I  cannot  at  present  absolutely  charge  my  recollection  with 
what  I  had  reason  to  believe  at  that  time — probably  there  might 
have  been  other  occurrences  which  may  have  induced  me  to 
apprehend  a  misapplication  of  the  money  upon  that  occasion. 

Q.  By  Mr.  Duer.  Do  you  know  that  the  particular  sum  you 
allude  to  was  charged  by  M.  Beaumarchais  to  the  United 
States  ? 

A.  Since  my  arrival  in  this  country,  by  conversation  with 
the  agent  of  M.  Beaumarchais,  I  have  reason  to  believe  the 


EXAMINATION   OF  MR.   CARMICHAEL.  147 

particular  sum  was  charged  by  M.  Beaumarchais  to  Mr.  Deane's 
private  account.  M.  Francis  is  now  in  the  country  and  can 
answer  the  question. 

Q.  Did  you  know  or  believe  that  Mr.  Deane  applied  the 
public  money  to  the  payment  of  such  parts  of  those  vessels  as 
were  to  have  been  the  property  of  the  public? 

A.  I  do  not  know,  I  believe  that  Mr.  Deane  would  have  ap 
plied  the  public  money  to  that  purpose,  but  cannot  say  that  he 
did. 

Ordered  to  withdraw — to  have  notice  at  what  hour  to  attend 
on  Friday  afternoon. 

Monday,  October  5,  1778. 

Q.  Are  you  sure  that  the  public  had  any  share  in  those  two 
vessels  which  were  purchased  in  the  Mediterranean  ? 

A.  I  apprehended  at  the  time  that  they  had,  and  my  reason 
for  apprehending  was  that  the  Captain  had  a  Continental  com 
mission;  I  thought  they  were  on  the  same  footing  as  those 
fitted  out  at  Dunkirk. 

Q.  "Were  you  anywise  concerned  in  equipping  Capt.  Conyng- 
ham  from  Dunkirk? 

'  A.  I  was  in  no  way  concerned  in  the  equipment.  I  was  sent 
by  Mr.  Franklin  and  Mr.  Deane  to  facilitate  the  departure  of 
that  vessel  from  the  port. 

Q.  Was  Captain  Conyngham's  vessel  fitted  out  at  Dunkirk 
more  than  once? 

A.  Captain  Conyngham  commanded  two  vessels  from  that 
port,  one  a  lugger,  the  other  a  cutter. 

Q.  Were  they  fitted  at  the  same  time  ? 

A.  At  different  times. 

Q.  Were  they  or  either  of  them  public  or  private  property  ? 

A.  I  apprehended  that  each  of  them  were  part  public  and 
part  private,  but  I  do  not  certainly  know. 

Q.  When  you  were  sent  to  dispatch  these  vessels,  did  you 
consider  yourself  as  acting  for  the  public  or  for  private  persons? 


148  EXAMINATION   OF   MR.   CARMICHAEL. 

A.  Every  service  I  performed  for  the  Commissioners  I  con 
sidered  as  done  for  the  public,  and  so  I  considered  in  this 
instance. 

Q.  What  reason  had  you  to  consider  these  vessels  as  part 
private  property  ? 

A.  From  conversations  I  had  at  the  time,  particularly  with 
Mr.  Hodge,  I  had  reason  to  apprehend  he  was  concerned. 

Q.  Had  you  reason  to  suppose  that  Mr.  Deane  was  concerned, 
or  any  of  the  Commissioners  ? 

A.  I  did  apprehend  at  that  time  that  Mr.  Deane  was  con 
cerned  in  the  first  equipment. 

Q.  What  reasons  induced  you  to  apprehend  that  Mr.  Deane 
was  concerned  in  the  first  equipment? 

A.  I  cannot  recollect  the  reasons  that  induced  that  belief, 
but  I  know  that  I  did  at  the  time  apprehend  he  was  concerned. 

Q.  At  what  time  was  the  first  equipment  made,  what  year, 
and  what  month? 

A.  At  present  I  cannot  precisely  recollect.  I  think  it  was 
in  the  spring,  1777.  The  captain  of  the  Harwich  packet  will 
nearly  point  out  the  time  of  the  sailing. 

Q.  Do  you  know  if  any  and  what  instructions  were  given  to 
Captain  Conyngham  respecting  that  cruise? 

A.  I  think  there  were  instructions  given,  but  I  cannot  be 
particular  what  those  instructions  were. 

Q.  By  Mr.  Lee.  Do  you  know  that  the  vessels  or  either  of 
them,  were  ordered  to  cruise  on  the  coast  of  England  ? 

A.  I  speak  to  the  first  vessel,  I  believe  the  object  was  to 
cruise  for  one  of  the  Harwich  packets.  I  myself  gave  direc 
tions. 

Q.  Was  this  equipment  at  Dunkirk  made  with  or  without 
the  knowledge  of  the  French  ministry  ? 

A.  I  cannot  answer  as  to  the  knowledge  of  the  French  min 
istry. 

Q.  Did  you  overhear  that  the  French  ministry  objected  to  it? 

A.  I  know  they  gave  proofs  that  it  did  not  appear  to  be 


EXAMINATION   OF   MR.   CARMICHAEL.  149 

agreeable,  for  the  Captain  was  imprisoned  upon  his  return  to 
Dunkirk. 

Q.  Did  you  hear  that  the  French  ministry  objected  previous 
to  the  sailing? 

A.  I  do  not  know  that  they  knew  of  the  first  vessel  previous 
to  her  sailing,  therefore  they  could  not  object  to  the  equipment. 

Q.  Did  you  ever  hear  that  the  French  ministry  offered  to 
pay  the  expense  of  equipping  those  vessels,  or  either  of  them, 
to  prevent  their  sailing? 

A.  Of  the  first  vessel  I  never  heard  that  they  did ;  of  the 
second,  I  heard  after  she  had  sailed  that  they  had  given  orders 
to  pay  the  expense  to  prevent  her  sailing. 

Q.  Did  you  understand  that  much  diligence  was  used  to  push 
these  vessels,  or  either  of  them,  out  of  Dunkirk,  to  prevent  the  ef 
fect  of  the  measures  the  ministry  had  taken  to  stop  their  sailing  ? 

A.  With  respect  to  the  last,  I  believe  all  possible  diligence 
was  used  to  accelerate  her  departure,  to  prevent  measures  from 
being  taken  by  the  ministry  to  stop  her  sailing. 

Q.  Did  you  ever  see  or  hear  of  a  letter  or  letters  written  by 
the .  Count  de  Vergennes  to  M.  Grand,  or  the  Commissioners, 
complaining  of  this  measure? 

A.  I  have  heard  that  there  was  such  a  letter,  but  I  do  not 
know  whether  to  M.  Grand  or  the  Commissioners. 

Q.  Do  you  know  whether  the  Commissioners  had  received 
any  order  from  Congress  or  the  Secret  Committee  relative  to 
the  fitting  out  of  these  two  vessels  ? 

A.  I  do  not  know  whether  they  had  received  orders  relative 
to  the  fitting  out  of  these  two  vessels. 

Q.  Did  you  ever  hear  that  they  had  ? 

A.  I  never  heard  that  they  had  received  orders  to  fit  out 
these  two  vessels  particularly,  I  heard  that  they  had  general 
orders  to  fit  out  vessels. 

Q.  Do  you  mean  vessels  of  force  to  cruise  against  the  enemy? 

A.  I  do,  because  they  received  Continental  commissions  for 
the  Captains. 


MR.  LEE'S  NARRATIVE 


TO  HIS  EXCELLENCY,  THE  PEESIDENT  OF  THE 
HONOEABLE  THE  CONGEESS  OF  THE  UNITED 
STATES  OF  AMEEICA. 

PARIS,  February  10,  1779. 
SIR— 

A  letter  under  the  signature  of  Silas  Deane,  and  addressed  to 
the  citizens  of  America,  has  been  published  with  great  avidity 
by  our  enemies,  and  propagated  through  all  Europe. 

Of  the  public  effect  it  is  likely  to  produce,  I  shall  only  speak 
in  the  words  of  a  foreign  minister  here — that  he  doubted 
whether  any  power  in  Europe  would,  for  the  future,  think 
itself  safe  in  treating  with  us.*  Indeed,  it  must  be  obvious,  that 

*  The  following  expression  in  Mr  Deane's  letter :  "  I  now  see,  what  I  have  for 
some  time  suspected,  a  design  to  lead  you  into  a  breach  of  your  national  faith 
and  honor  solemnly  pledged,"  tends  so  directly  to  destroy  all  confidence  in  our 
faith  among  the  powers  of  Europe,  that  it  is  not  incredulity  itself  to  believe  it 
was  done  without  design.  Lord  Mansfield  and  the  Court  of  England  are  now 
employing  this  assertion  with  all  the  courts  in  Europe,  to  prevent  them  from 
negotiating  with  us,  and  Lord  Mansfield  himself,  could  not  have  devised  an  argu 
ment  more  effectual.  Mr.  Deane  will  not  deny  that  when  we  were  settling  the 
treaty  here,  he  had  a  private  conference,  upon  matters,  unknown  to  one  of  your 
Commissioners  at  least,  with  a  Mr.  Paul  Wentworth,  the  corrupt  and  corrupting 
instrument  of  Lord  Mansfield.  I  was  informed  of  this  some  time  after,  and  de- 


152  MR.  LEE'S  NARRATIVE. 

if  one  who  has  been  entrusted  with  a  negotiation,  is  at  liberty 
to  reveal  to  all  the  world,  and  to  misrepresent  what  has  come 
to  his  knowledge  under  that  trust,  there  is  an  end  to  all  public 
confidence  and  safety.  I  am  at  a  loss  to  conceive  what  can  be 
more  traitorous  to  the  community  than  such  conduct. 

Nor  is  it  possible  to  devise  a  surer  method  of  disappointing 
the  negotiations  in  behalf  of  the  States,  by  rendering  the  per 
sons  of  the  negotiators  odious  and  suspected,  than  for  a  man 
who  is  known  to  have  been  in  high  office,  thus  to  publish 
against  them  the  basest  and  blackest  accusations.  It  imports 
not,  as  to  the  injurious  effect,  whether  they  be  true  or  false. 
The  mischief  may  happen  before  it  is  possible  to  prove  the 
falsehood  of  what  is  alleged;  for  example,  Mr.  Deane  says:  "A 
gentleman  of  character  in  Paris  told  him  that  his  correspondent 
in  England,  saw  a  letter  written  by  me,  dated  the  night  of 
signing  the  treaty,  and  giving  an  account  of  its  being  signed." 
Had  Mr.  Deane  named  this  gentleman  of  character,  or  his  cor 
respondent,  I,  or  any  other  person,  could  have  gone  to  him  to 
trace  and  refute  the  falsehood,  but  as  it  stands  I  can  only  say, 
it  is  not  true ;  which  puts  it  upon  the  foot  of  my  denial  against 
his  affirmation,  and  leaves  the  mind  in  doubt,  but  always 
tainted  with  the  suspicion,  that  there  must  be  something  in  the 
accusation,  or  a  man  would  not  hazard  his  name  to  it.  With 
this  dark  covering  are  many  of  his  accusations  clothed,  which 
shows  the  art  and  unfairness  with  which  they  are  made. 

Congress  will  now  permit  me  to  speak  to  those  charges, 
which  he  has  made  against  me.  And  first,  I  do  most  solemnly 
declare,  before  God  and  man,  that  every  one  of  them  is  totally 
and  absolutely  false. 

His  first  charge  is,  that  by  a  "  wanton  display  of  my  errand, 

sired  to  know  of  Mr.  Deane  the  subject  of  this  conference,  who  told  me,  it  was 
only  general  professions  of  wishes  to  accommodate.  I  own,  therefore,  that  I 
cannot  help  connecting  this  conference  with  a  declaration  so  pernicious  to  our 
cause,  and  so  direct  to  the  purposes  of  our  enemy.  But  the  facts  are  before  you 
for  your  own  judgment. 


MR.   LEE'S  NARRATIVE.  153 

I  gave  just  cause  of  distrust  to  the  Court  of  Madrid,"  and  was 
restricted  to  Burgos.  I  inclose  a  copy  of  the  letter*  written  to 
me  by  order  of  the  minister,  which  contains  his  reasons  for 
wishing  me  to  meet  him  first  at  Vitoria,  and  then  at  Burgos :  I 
thought  it  prudent  to  comply,  and  wrote  immediately  to  my 
colleagues  for  their  opinion,  which  may  be  seenf  concurring 
with  mine.  Upon  my  interview  with  the  Duke  de  Grimaldi, 
and  his  endeavoring  to  dissuade  me  entirely  from  going  to 
Madrid,  it  seemed  to  me  proper  to  make  the  representation,  a 
copy  of  which  is  inclosed.^  This,  I  conceived,  would  either 
alter  their  sentiments,  or  make  them  more  liberal  in  their  aids, 
by  way  of  compensation. 

With  regard  to  the  "wanton  display  of  my  commission" 
which  Mr.  Deane  charges  me  with  making,  I  affirm  nothing 
can  be  more  contrary  to  truth.  I  defy  him  to  produce  the  least 
tittle  of  evidence  of  what  he  asserts,  or  in  contradiction  to  what 
I  declare,  that  I  did  not  communicate  my  mission  to  any  one 
living,  or  had  the  smallest  intercourse  with  any  person  from 
Bordeaux  to  Burgos.  It  was  impossible  to  conceal  that  I  was 
going  to  Spain,  or  prevent  persons  writing  so  to  Nantes  and 
Bordeaux.  But  this  was  all  they  knew. 

*  Extract  from  the  said  letter.  "MADRID,  17th  February,  1777. 

"All  which  we  shall  so  manage  as  to  meet  one  and  the  other  at  Vitoria,  where 
we  shall  tarry  under  some  good  disguise  until  our  mutual  arrival,  and  as  this 
noble  minister  has  had  to  this  day  the  entire  direction  of  all  affairs,  and  is  of 
course  fully  acquainted  with  his  majesty's  intentions,  believe  it  is  the  only  per 
son  with  whom  you  might  treat,  either  in  said  place,  or  some  country  house  that 
might  be  picked  up  for  the  purpose,  and  thereby  avoid  the  inconveniences  which 
must  inevitably  follow  by  your  coming  to  Madrid. 

"P.  S.  Having  considered  upon  the  properest  place  for  our  meeting,  we  have 
settled  it  on  that  of  Burgos,  instead  of  Vitoria,  which  pray  note  accordingly,  and 
hope  to  meet  you  there."  See  the  whole  letter  authenticated,  No.  I. 

"March  21st,  1777. 

f  "  Mr.  D.  is  still  here.  You  desire  our  advice  about  your  stopping  at  Bur 
gos.  We  agree  in  opinion  that  you  should  comply  with  the  request."  See  the 
extract  authenticated,  No.  II.  signed  B.  Franklin. 

J  See  a  copy  of  the  memorial  authenticated,  No. 'III. 

20 


154  MR.  LEE'S  NARRATIVE. 

By  the  extract  of  our  public  letter*  it  appears  that  it  was 
the  public  good  which  called  upon  one  of  us  to  go  to  Madrid ; 
and  it  certainly  was  that  which  animated  me  to  travel  night 
and  day  through  every  inclemency  of  weather,  to  accomplish 
this  end.  But,  according  to  Mr.  Deane,  the  secret  purpose  was 
to  get  rid  of  me,  which,  though  I  have  suspected,  I  little  im 
agined  he  would  have  had  the  imprudence  to  declare,  and  by 
that  means  point  out  the  real  cause  of  all  the  cabals  which  have 
been  constantly  working  to  calumniate  and  vilify  me  since  my 
return  from  Spain. 

As  a  cover  for  this,  I  am  represented  as  "  proclaiming  my 
hatred  and  contempt  of  the  French  nation,  and  being  suspected 
by  persons  in  high  office  from  my  connections  with  Lord  Shel- 
burne." 

Situated  as  I  was,  if  I  regarded  only  my  personal  safety,  it 
would  have  been  little  short  of  insanity  to  have  made  such 
declarations,  whatever  might  have  been  my  opinion.  If  Mr. 
Deane  means  that  I  frequently  exclaimed  against  those  con 
tractors  and  jobbers,  who,  very  much  under  his  influence,  were 
doing  injustice  to  the  public,  he  is  right;  and  in  no  other  sense 
is  there  a  color  of  truth  in  the  charge.  I  had  travelled  three 
times  before  in  France,  from  my  own  inclination ;  was  this  like 
one  who  hated  and  despised  the  nation? 

If  I  was  suspected  for  my  connection  with  Lord  Shelburne, 
till  very  lately  an  avowed  and  able  friend  to  the  American 
cause,  how  came  it  that  Doctor  Franklin,  who  was  known  to  be 
intimately  connected  with  Lord  Howe,  Sir  Grey  Cooper,  Sec 
retary  to  the  Treasury,  and  Mr.  Strahan,  the  king's  printer,  the 
most  ministerial  servants  and  enemies  to  America,  should  have 
escaped  suspicion?  If  I  was  suspected,  how  came  the  court 

*  "Finding  that  our  residence  here  together  is  nearly  as  expensive  as  if  we 
•were  separate,  and  having  reason  to  believe  that  one  of  us  might  be  useful  in 
Madrid,  and  another  in  Holland,  and  some  courts  further  northward,  we  have 
agreed  that  Mr.  Lee  go  to  Spain,  and  either  Mr.  Deane  or  myself  to  the  Hague. 
Mr.  Lee  sets  out  to-morrow."  See  the  extract  authenticated,  No.  IV. 


ME.   LEE'S   NARRATIVE.  155 

and  ministers  here  to  trust  me  with  those  of  their  proceedings 
which  they  most  wished  to  be  kept  secret?  The  truth  is,  that 
I  have  been  apprised  often  of  Mr.  Deane,  by  himself  and  his 
agents,  having  endeavored  to  excite  this  suspicion  in  order 
to  injure  me.  And  so  far  did  he  flatter  himself  he  had  suc 
ceeded,  that  it  appears  from  the  declarations  which  many  gen 
tlemen,  particularly  Mr.  Stevenson,  heard  Mr.  Carmichael,  once 
Mr.  Deane's  confidant,  repeatedly  make  at  Nantz,  that  he  knew 
the  excuse  Mr.  Deane  would  make  to  Congress  for  his  doing 
the  business  of  the  Commission  without  consulting  me,  would  be 
that  the  French  ministry  had  desired  it.  Mr.  Carmichael  added 
that  he  did  not  doubt  this  arose  from  Mr.  Deane's  suggestions. 

I  have  written  but  two  letters  to  Lord  Shelburne  since  my 
leaving  England,  of  which  I  send  you  copies  (No.  V.).  I  owe 
this  testimony  to  the  honor  of  that  nobleman,  that,  notwith 
standing  our  former  friendship,  he  never  has  attempted  directly 
nor  indirectly  to  get  a  line  from  me,  nor  has  he  had  one  but 
the  above,  one  of  which  was  written  soon  after  my  arrival  here ; 
and  the  other  to  recommend  the  business  of  our  prisoners.  I  am 
next,  represented  "as  making  the  tour  of  Germany  to  arrive  at 
Berlin  in  safety,  where  I  was  unfortunate  enough  to  do  nothing 
but  lose  my  papers,  discover  the  secrets  and  expose  the  mea 
sures  of  my  colleagues,  so  as  to  enable  the  British  ministry  to 
counteract  the  measures  taken  for  our  advantage." 

That  my  door  and  desk  should  be  broke  open  in  the  midst  of 
the  city  of  Berlin,  in  open  day,  was  an  outrage  little  to  have 
been  expected,  and  which  no  human  prudence  could  have  pre 
vented.  When  Mr.  Deane  imputes  this  to  me  as  a  crime,  he 
shows  at  once  his  candor  and  his  forgetfulness,  that  a  similar 
accident  happened  to  us  all  in  France,  when  our  dispatches  by 
Folger  were  robbed.  Is  it  sure  that  the  enemy  received  no 
intelligence  from  that  robbery?  Congress  will  see  by  the  in 
closed  letter*  from  me  to  my  colleagues,  the  real  state  of  the 

*  "Finding  two  days  ago,  -while  I  was  at  dinner,  my  bureau  had  been  broke 
open  and  some  papers  stolen  out  which  were  in  my  portefeuille.  The  English 


156  MR.  LEE'S  NARRATIVE. 

robbery  at  Berlin,  and  the  early  notice  I  gave  them  of  that 
event,  to  prevent  any  possible  ill  consequences.  Let  him  point 
out  the  measure  or  measures  for  the  public  good  which  it  ena 
bled  our  enemies  to  counteract.  Certain  it  is,  that  it  did  not 
interrupt  that  foolish  and  fatal  business  at  Dunkirk,  which  was 
entirely  his,  as  Dr.  Franklin  always  disclaimed  it,  and  which 
threw  Mr.  Hodge  into  the  Bastile,  deprived  us  a  long  time  of 
even  being  admitted  to  see  the  minister,  drew  from  him  the 
most  disgraceful  reflections  against  us,  and  a  positive  order* 
for  all  our  vessels  of  war  to  quit  the  ports  of  France  in  twenty- 
four  hours,  and  not  to  return.  "Pourvu  que  ce  soit  a  la  condi 
tion  bien  exprime'e  de  ne  plus  revenir;"  these  are  the  minis 
ter's  words.  He  says  I  did  nothing  at  Berlin ;  yet  Mr.  Deane 
had  read  the  Prussian  minister's  letter,  f  pledging  the  king,  in 

ambassador  happened  to  be  in  the  hotel  where  I  lodge,  when  I  discovered  the 
robbery.  Upon  being  informed  that  I  was  gone  to  the  governor,  and  that  the 
suspicion  fell  upon  one  of  his  servants,  he  went  away  in  great  confusion*  and  in 
half  an  hour  the  portefeuille  with  all  the  papers  were  laid  down  at  the  door." 
See  authenticated  copy,  No.  VI. 

Extract  of  a  letter  signed  in  the  king's  own  hand  on  the  same  subject: — 

"  Le  Roi  ayant  re9u  la  lettre  du  Sr.  Lee,  de  Berlin,  le  1st  Juillet,  et  sa  plainte 
du  vol  qui  lui  a  etc  fait,  veut  bien  faire  savoir  en  reponse,  qui  sa  majeste  vient 
d'ordonner  a  son  Ministre  d'Etat  le  Baron  de  Schulenbourg  d'entendre  ce  qu'il 
auroit  a  lui  dire  ulte>ieurement  la  dessus."  See  authenticated  copy,  No.  VII. 

*  Extracts  from  the  minister's  letter  to  a  third  person,  he  not  then  correspond 
ing  with  the  Commissioners: — 

"Vos  amis  ne  sont  pas  ni  justes  ni  honnetes  s'ils  se  plaignent  des  bornes  qu'on 
a  du  mettre  aux  entreprises  de  leurs  corsaires.  Au  reste,  si  on  m'ecrit,  et  que  ce 
soit  d'une  maniere  convenable,  je  prendrai  les  ordres  pour  repondre.  Mais  vis 
a  vis  ce  que  vous  me  mandez  des  dispositions  de  vos  amis,  je  vois  que  le  senti 
ment  de  1'amitie  ne  se  grave  pas  profondement  chez  eux.  Je  ne  sais  pas  si  en 
Amerique  il  est  permis  d'user  de  ces  sortes  de  detours,  mais  en  France,  et  en 
Europe,  c'est  une  faute  tres  grave  de  mentir  au  Hoi,  ce  qu'il  a  fait  lorsqu'il  a 
affirme*  et  cautionne"  que  le  batiment  sorti  de  Dunquerke  n'alloit  point  en  course." 
See  the  whole  letter  authenticated,  No.  VIII. 

•j-  Extract  from  a  letter  dated  Berlin,  16th  January,  1778,  signed  Baron  de 
Schulembourg: — 

"Si  Majeste"  souhaite  que  vos  gene>eux  efforts  soient  suivis  d'un  plein  succes, 
et  comme  je  vous  1'ai  deja  marqu6  dans  ma  lettre  du  15  Deer,  elle  ne  balancera 


MR.   LEE'S  NARRATIVE.  157 

the  strongest  and  most  explicit  manner,  to  acknowledge  our 
independence  the  moment  it  was  done  in  France.  He  knows 
that  letter  was  shown  to  Count  de  Vergennes  and  M.  Gerard.  I 
have  already  had  the  honor  of  sending  Congress  a  copy  of  this 
letter,  and  they  had  in  their  possession  a  refutation  of  this 
charge  as  of  many  others,  at  the  time  it  was  made.  The  ac 
knowledgment  of  our  independence  included  every  purpose  I 
went  for,  and  would  have  fulfilled  the  utmost  object  of  my  nego 
tiation.  The  sudden  and  unforeseen  death  of  the  Elector  of 
Bavaria,  on  the  30th  of  January,  by  the  smallpox,  and  the  war 
that  grew  from  it,  prevented  the  King  of  Prussia's  compliance 
with  his  promise,  because  it  would  necessarily  have  thrown 
Great  Britain,  Hanover,  Hesse  Brunswick,  and  their  connec 
tions  into  the  emperor's  scale  against  him.  But,  surely,  there 
is  not  another  mortal  breathing,  so  uncandid  as  to  visit  this 
upon  me,  or  to  think  I  failed  in  my  negotiation,  because  events 
uncontrollable  by  any  man  living,  disappointed  us  of  the  fruits 
of  it,  the  moment  they  were  ripe  for  gathering. 

My  correspondence  with  Dr.  Berkenhout  is  his  next  charge; 
he  is  obliged,  however,  to  confess  I  communicated  "a  part"  of 
it  to  my  colleagues.  How  does  he  know  I  did  not  communicate 
the  whole?  I  did  communicate  the  whole,  that  concerned  us 
jointly.  What  more  could  have  been  required  of  me?  But 
he  forgets  to  add  that  I  also  laid  it  before  the  French  ministry, 
and  that  my  answer  was  made  by  their  unanimous  advice.  Dr. 
Berkenhout's  reply,  and  his  declining  to  proceed  any  further, 
was  not  owing  to  the  news  of  General  Howe's  success,  as  will 
appear  by  my  letter.*  It  was,  that  the  English  ministry  under 
stood  that  there  was  a  difference  between  Dr.  Franklin  and  me, 
which  rendered  it  useless  to  treat  with  us.  This  report  had 

pas  a  reconnoitre  votre  independence  de"s  que  la  France,  qui  se  trouve  plus  direc- 
tement  interesse'e  a  Tissue  de  cette  contestation,  en  donnera  1'exemple."     See  the 
authenticated  copy,  No.  IX.     The  copies  of  the  Prussian  Minister's  letters  to  me, 
Nos.  X.  and  XL,  contain  further  accounts  of  my  negotiation. 
*  See  a  copy  of  my  letter,  No,  XII.  (A) 


158  MR.  LEE'S  NARRATIVE. 

been  industriously  propagated,  both  here  and  in  London,  by 
Mr.  Deane's  cabal,  to  injure  me. 

Mr.  Deane  asserts  that,  "about  the  time  of  the  arrival  of  the 
news  of  General  Burgoyne's  surrender,  my  secretary  went  to 
and  from  London,  charged  with  affairs  which  were  secret  to 
your  other  Commissioners." 

Congress  will  be  astonished  to  hear  that  I  had  no  secretary 
at  that  time,  nor  at  any  time  before  it,  except  Mr.  Sayre,  who 
left  me  at  Berlin,  and  has  not  been  in  Paris  since.  Let  Mr. 
Deane  name,  if  he  can,  who  that  secretary  or  person  was.  The 
first  secretary  I  ever  had  was  Major  Thornton,  who  entered 
upon  that  office  late  in  January,  1778.  At  the  time  Mr.  Deane 
mentions,  Major  Thornton  was  chosen  by  my  colleagues,  I  never 
having  seen  or  heard  of  him  before,  to  carry  our  letter  to  Lord 
North  about  the  prisoners,  and  to  visit  and  relieve  them.  This 
will  be  seen  by  Dr.  Franklin's  letter,*  introducing  him  to  Sir 
Grey  Cooper,  and  announcing  his  business.  Among  other  let 
ters  of  information  which  he  wrote  us  from  London,  and  which 
were  long  concealed  from  me,  one  contains  the  following  re 
markable  piece  of  intelligence: — 

"  Lord  North  told  Mr.  Hartley  last  Saturday,  the  3d  of  Jan 
uary,  1778,  that  he  knew  of  several  persons  who  had  come  to 
London,  from  Messrs.  Franklin,  Deane,  and  Lee,  and  that  Dr. 
Bancroft  had  been  in  London,  and  he  was  informed  had  been 
sent  by  those  gentlemen  from  Paris  on  stock-jobbing  business." 

The  fact  is,  that  Dr.  Bancroft,  then  acting  as  secretary  to  Mr. 
Deane,  and  living  in  the  house  with  the  other  Commissioners  at 

*  "  Receiving  frequent  accounts  by  American  prisoners,  who  have  escaped 
from  your  jails,  of  the  miserable  situation  and  hard  treatment  of  their  country 
men  at  Portsmouth,  and  Plymouth,  we  have  prevailed  with  a  gentleman,  Major 
Thornton  (to  us  much  a  stranger,  but  who  appears  a  man  of  humanity),  to  visit 
the  prisons,  and  give  from  us  some  relief  to  these  unfortunate  men."  See  the 
authenticated  copy,  No.  IV.  (A),  dated  Passy,  llth  December,  1777,  and  signed 
B.  Franklin.  N.  B.  Mr.  Austin  arrived  at  Paris,  with  the  dispatches  of  General 
Burgoyne's  defeat  and  surrender,  the  4th  December,  1777. 


MR.    LEE'S  NARRATIVE.  159 

Passy,  went  off  express  for  London  the  very  day  the  news  of 
the  Saratoga  surrender  arrived.  Mr.  Jonathan  Loring  Austin, 
who  brought  the  dispatches,  knows  this,  as  does  every  Ameri 
can  who  was  then  in  Paris,  or  in  London.  The  infamy  of  this 
transaction  was  visited  equally  upon  me. 

The  whole  of  this  forgery  is  calculated  to  support  his  insin 
uation,  that  I  held  a  correspondence  with  the  enemy,  and  be 
trayed  state  secrets ;  and  to  confirm  this,  he  refers  to  a  decla 
ration  of  Charles  Fox,  that  the  treaty  was  signed.  For  this 
purpose,  too,  he  has  converted  Charles  Fox  from  a  family  foe, 
as  every  one  knows  he  is,  into  the  friend  of  Lord  Shelburne. 
It  is  impossible  Mr.  Deane  should  be  ignorant  of  what  was  the 
common  talk  and  surprise  of  the  time,  that  Mr.  Fox  expressly 
declared  that  his  information  came  from  Dr.  Franklin.  The 
following  are  his  words,  as  detailed  at  large  in  the  Courier  de 
V Europe,  Mardi,  Fevrier  24,  1778:— 

"  CHAMBRE  DE  COMMUNS,  Stance  de  Mardi,  17  Fevrier. 

"J'ai  vu  une  lettre  du  Docteur  Franklin  dans  laquelle  ce  Commissaire  de 
1'Amerique  dit  expresse"ment  a  son  correspondant  a  Londres,  il  y  a  dix  jours 
que  les  deputes  du  Congress  ont  sign6  avec  le  ministere  Fra^ois  un  traite  de 
commerce,  dans  lequel  toutes  les  forrnalite's  qui  s'observent  de  nation  a  nation 
contractantes  ont  ete  solemnellement  observe'es."* 

To  fix,  therefore,  this  imputation  upon  me,  of  having  betrayed 
to  the  enemy  "  an  important  matter,  that  was  agreed  to  be  kept 
a  profound  secret,"  he  has  recourse  to  a  gross  falsehood,  and  a 
most  palpable  misrepresentation  of  a  notorious  fact. 

But  what  will  be  the  opinion  of  him,  when,  from  the  follow 
ing  declaration  of  Captain  M.  Livingston,  which  I  have  under 
his  hand,  a  direct  and  irresistible  conclusion  arises  that  Mr. 
Deane  himself  betrayed  the  secret,  not  after,  but  before  the  treaty 
was  signed,  which  was  ten  times  worse. 

"PARIS,  \\thApril,  1778. 
"I  do  certify  that  I  was  shown  a  letter  in  London,  dated  the  27th  of  January 

*  See  authenticated  copy,  No.  XIII. 


160  MR.  LEE'S  NARRATIVE. 

last,  which  I  was  told  was  written  by  Dr.  Bancroft  to  Mr.  Wharton,  informing 
him  that  he  might  depend  upon  it,  he  had  it  from  the  very  best  authority,  that 
the  treaty  with  the  Court  of  France,  was  to  be  signed  the  5th  or  6th  of  February, 
and  desiring  him  to  make  his  speculations  accordingly,  in  the  above  words,  or 
words  to  that  effect.  I  do  also  certify  that  I  have  seen  Dr.  Bancroft's  hand 
writing  on  other  occasions,  and  that  I  believe  the  above-mentioned  letter  to  have 

been  written  by  him."* 

Signed  M.  LIVINGSTON 

Witness,  GEO.  DIGGES. 

Captain  Livingston  is  a  gentleman  of  unimpeached  character, 
was  some  time  lieutenant  on  board  the  Boston  frigate,  which  he 
quitted  with  a  recommendation  from  the  Commissioners  to 
Congress.  He  now  commands  the  Governor  Livingston,  and  I 
hope  will  reach  America  to  confirm  personally  what  he  has 
given  under  his  hand.  Dr.  Bancroft  lived  with  Mr.  Deane  as 
his  secretary,  and  every  one  will  judge  who  was  his  lest  authority. 
And  since  Mr.  Deane  chooses  to  deal  in  circumstantial  evidence, 
there  is  one  circumstance  very  strong  to  point  this  to  him; 
which  is,  that  it  appears,  from  a  mistake  of  our  banker  in  having 
charged  to  the  public  account  what  belongs  to  the  particular 
one  of  Mr.  Deane,  that  some  little  timef  after  this  transaction 
Mr.  Deane  remitted  to  this  Mr.  Wharton  in  London,  from  Paris, 
19,520  liv.  14  s.  It  is  proper  to  observe  that  this  gaming  was,  by 
giving  so  much  down,  to  receive  a  certain  sum  on  the  happening 
of  a  stipulated  event  in  a  given  time.  This  made  it  necessary 
to  remit.  Mr.  Deane  may  perhaps  explain  this  away ;  but  I  beg 
it  may  be  by  well-authenticated  facts,  not  by  mere  assertions, 
as  I  think  some  doubts  have  been  thrown  on  his  veracity. 

Before  I  quit  this  article,  I  must  observe  that  the  stock-job 
bers  have  been  base  enough  to  circulate  reports  that  my  brother, 
Mr.  Izard,  and  myself,  were  also  employed  in  stock-jobbing. 
They  found  this  upon  my  having  sent  my  secretary,  Major 

*  See  authenticated  copy,  No.  XIV. 

•j-  "Trait  de  Samuel  Wharton  de  Londres  du  17th  Fevrier,  sur  M.  Silas  Deane, 
19,520  liv.  14  s.     Signe"  Grand." 
True  extract  from  the  banker's  accounts.     H.  Ford,  Secretary. 


MR.   LEE'S  NARRATIVE.  161 

Thornton  to  London.  I  will  state  the  facts  for  the  judgment  of 
Congress.  Finding  Major  Thornton,  from  the  activity  and  in 
trepidity  of  his  disposition,  and  his  acquaintance  in  the  army 
and  navy,  to  be  a  very  proper  person  to  get  me  intelligence  of 
the  designs  and  measures  of  the  enemy,  I  sent  him  to  London 
for  that  purpose  with  the  following  instructions : — • 

"February  21,  1778. 

"Instructions  to  Mr.  Thornton — To  go  with  all  speed  to  London,  and  there 
learn  the  real  and  probable  future  force  of  Great  Britain;  the  number  of  men 
raised  and  to  be  raised,  and  where  stationed ;  the  number  of  ships  and  seamen ; 
whether  the  harbor  of  Shields  is  fortified ;  with  all  other  information  he  may 
think  of  use."* 

He  accordingly  brought  me  a  very  accurate  account  of  the 
number  and  disposition  of  the  force  of  Great  Britain,  of  which 
I  informed  Congress,  in  my  letter  to  the  Committee,  dated 
April  4,  1778.f 

The  next  important  period  for  intelligence  was,  when  the 
great  fleet  of  the  enemy  was  arming.  I  therefore  sent  him  to 
London  again,  with  the  following  instructions: — 

"April  30, 1778. 

"  To  find  the  destination  of  the  main  fleet  under  Keppell ;  the  number  of  sea 
men  actually  in  service ;  whether  there  is  any  design  against  the  Spanish  flota,  J 
and  what  it  is ;  to  get  copies  of  material  papers  of  the  Cabinet,  the  Treasury,  or 
the  Secretary  of  State's  Office ;  whether  any  more  naval  or  land  force  is  to  be 
sent  to  America,  what,  and  when ;  to  trace  the  correspondence  by  the  lady  in 
Paris ;  to  trace  the  ministerial  connections  and  proceedings  of  the  stock-jobbing 
company,  and  get  copies  of  their  letters,  the  feigned  names  under  which  they 
correspond,  and  the  key  to  their  cipher."^ 

Mr.  Thornton  continued  to  send  me  constant  intelligence  on 
the  above  subjects,!)  and  particularly  on  the  force  and  desti- 

*  See  the  authenticated  copy,  No.  XV.  (A.) 
f  See  the  authenticated  extract,  No.  XXXII. 

J  Of  this  I  informed  the  Spanish  ambassador.     See  No.  XVI.  authenticated, 
g  See  the  authenticated  copy,  No.  XV.   (B.) 

||  Of  which  I  made  communications  to  Count  Vergennes  and  the  Spanish  am 
bassador.     See  No.  XV.  (G.) 
21 


162  MR.  LEE'S  NARRATIVE. 

nation  of  Byron's  fleet,  of  which  I  sent  notice  to  Count  Ver- 
gennes,*  as  appears  by  my  letter-book  the  10th  of  May ;  and 
wrote  to  all  ray  correspondents  in  France  and  Spain  to  com 
municate  it  to  all  captains  going  to  America. 

Of  this  also  I  informed  Congress,  by  my  letter  of  the  23d  of 
May,  in  these  words:  "I  have  sent  orders  to  all  the  ports  in 
France  and  Spain,  to  communicate  the  account  of  the  sailing  of 
a  fleet  of  thirteen  ships  from  England  against  America,  to  all 
the  captains  who  sail  for  the  United  States  or  the  French 
islands.  This,  I  conceived,  would  be  the  most  certain  means  of 
communicating  the  alarm  and  preventing  surprise.  The  minis 
try  here  are  also  to  convey  a  letter  from  us  by  every  opportu 
nity  to  the  same  purpose."f  I  was  not  at  Passy  when  this 
letter  was  signed,  and  therefore  my  name  was  not  to  it. 

Before  Mr.  Thornton  went  the  last  time  there  were  whispers 
that  he  had  been  concerned  in  stock-jobbing.  I  taxed  him  with 
it;  and  he  satisfied  me,  by  a  letter  from  Mr.  Wharton,  that, 
though  strongly  solicited,  he  would  not  hold  a  correspondence 
with  him.  These  whispers  grew  stronger  in  his  absence,  which 
made  me  caution  him  against  giving  any  foundation  for  them 4 
At  length,  a  formal  accusation  was  given  in  against  him  to  Dr. 
Franklin  by  Dr.  Bancroft,  in  behalf  of  Mr.  Wharton.  It  con 
fessed  that  the  former  had  gained  upon  his  information ;  that 
he  had  given  Thornton  a  promissory  note  for  .£500,  payable  on 
a  declaration  of  war  in  such  a  time,  and  charging  him  with 
having  taken  copies  clandestinely  of  material  papers.§  It  ap- 

*  See  authenticated  extract,  No.  XV.  (C.) 

f  See  authenticated  extract,  No.  XV.  (F.) 

J  See  authenticated  extract,  No.  XVIII.  And  I  also  wrote  to  every  worthy 
person  to  watch  his  conduct.  See  my  authenticated  letter,  No.  XVII. 

\  "Some  time  in  March  last,  Samuel  Wharton  informed  me  by  letter,  that  he 
feared  his  brother,  Joseph  Wharton  (who  had  lost  near  £10,000  sterling  by  the 
bankruptcy  of  Richard  Ford  &  Co.),  was  disposed  to  endeavor  to  repair  his 
losses  by  insurances  upon  political  events,  and  that  Mr.  Thornton  was,  as  he  sus 
pected,  encouraging  and  misleading  him  into  that  kind  of  speculation.  A  few 
weeks  afterwards,  Mr.  Austin  informed  me  that  Mr.  Thornton  had  shown  him  a 


MR.   LEE'S  NARRATIVE. 

pears  from  Mr.  Livingston's  letter  to  me,  that  the  material 
paper  cited  by  them  in  evidence  of  this,  was  furnished  from 
Passy,*  and  probably  with  a  view  of  giving  color  to  this  accusa 
tion.  But  Mr.  Jonathan  Loring  Austin,  who  acted  then  as  our 
secretary,  having  assured  me  that  he  saw  the  promissory  note 
in  Mr.  Thornton's  possession,  and  he  not  coming  when  I  re 
called  him  to  answer  the  accusation,  I  took  another  secretarv, 
the  Kev.  Mr.  Ford,  and  have  not  heard  of  Mr.  Thornton  since. 

So  far,  however,  they  succeeded  in  seducing  from  me  the  best 
intelligence  I  could  possibly  have  found ;  and  avenging  them 
selves  on  a  man  who  had  given  early  warning  of  Dr.  Bancroft's 
proceedings. 

When  Mr.  Deane  asserts  that  "frequent  bickerings  and  dis 
putes  happened  between  Mr.  Lee  and  him  for  his  attention  to 
the  public  service,"  he  commits  a  little  mistake.  It  was  be 
cause  he  was  sacrificing  the  public  to  private  views,  usurping 
the  sole  management  of  that  business,  in  which  I  was  equally 
authorized  and  equally  interested;  and  because  the  public 
money  was  expended  without  any  specific  accounts  or  vouchers, 
and  .1  had  great  reason  to  believe  was  very  improperly  spent. 

I  have  Dr.  Franklin's  testimony  that  he  did  the  business 
without  me,  as  he  says  in  his  letter  to  his  nephew :  "  Mr.  Deane 
generally  consults  with  me  (not  with  his  colleagues),  and  has 
my  approbation. "f  Indeed,  it  may  well  be  conceived  that,  not 
withstanding  the  modesty  and  unassuming  diffidence  so  con 
spicuous  in  Mr.  Deane's  character,  yet,  as  he  conceived  himself 
saddled  with  me,  the  moment  I  was  appointed,  he  would  find 

note  of  hand  for  £500  sterling,  payable  by  Joseph  Wharton,  on  condition  that 
war  should  be  declared  before  a  certain  day  in  April ;  this  note  I  understood  to 
have  been  obtained  by  Mr.  Thornton  from  Mr.  Wharton,  as  a  consideration  for 
some  intelligence." 

True  extract  from  the  original  in  the  handwriting  of  Dr.  Bancroft,  with  which 
I  am  well  acquainted.  H.  Ford,  Secretary. 

*  See  authenticated  copy,  No.  XXI. 

f  See  a  copy  of  the  whole  letter  authenticated,  No.  XIX. 


164:  MR.  LEE'S  NARRATIVE. 

out  some  means  of  relieving  himself  from  the  burthen.  The 
Madrid  scheme,  it  seems,  I  maliciously  disappointed,  by  pro 
claiming  my  commission  along  the  road;  he  therefore  cut  the 
matter  short  by  setting  the  power  of  Congress  at  defiance,  and 
usurping  to  himself  that  Commission  with  which  they  had 
jointly  intrusted  me. 

I  beg  the  particular  attention  of  Congress  to  one  observation, 
the  truth  of  which,  the  contracts,  appointments,  and  banker's 
accounts  will  show.  That,  though  the  public  money  was 
equally  in  my  disposal,  I  never  disposed  of  fifty  pounds  without 
the  concurrence  of  my  colleagues ;  nor  did  one  livre  go  through 
the  hands  of  any  relation  or  connection  of  mine.  That  no  con 
tract  or  place  was  ever  given  by  my  recommendation.  The 
graciousness  and  the  advantages  of  these  things,  my  colleagues, 
their  friends  and  relations,  enjoyed  exclusively  and  entirely. 
One  would  have  imagined  this  might  have  kept  them  in  good- 
humor  with  me;  but  unhappily  it  did  not. 

I  come  now  to  one  of  the  weakest  confessions  of  criminality 
on  the  part  of  Mr.  Deane  that  ever  the  blindness  of  passion  and 
rage  of  accusation  produced.  He  informs  the  public  that  he 
received,  the  4th  day  of  March,  the  resolution  of  Congress,  which 
he  quotes  at  large,  recalling  him  and  appointing  another  Com 
missioner  in  his  place ;  yet  with  this  recall  and  annihilation  as 
one  of  your  Commissioners  in  his  possession,  he  imposed  him 
self  upon  his  colleagues,  upon  the  Court  of  France,  and  upon 
all  Europe,  as  still  a  representative  of  the  United  States.  He 
was  publicly  presented,  on  the  20th  of  March*  to  the  King  and 
Court  of  Versailles  as  still  bearing  that  character;  and  this  was 
announced  to  all  Europe.  He  disposed  of  the  public  money  to 
others,  and  took  largely  of  it  to  himself,  as  will  appear  by  the 
following  articles  in  the  banker's  account: — 

*  See  the  authenticated  extract  from  the  Court  Gazette  of  France,  No.  XXXV. 


MR.   LEE'S  NARRATIVE.  165 

March  15.  Assignation  de  M.  Silas  Deane,  a  Js.  Barnet      .         .         .  250 

"  17.  Autre  du  meme  a  B.  Nicholson  ......  240 

"  25,  and  27.  Assignm.  dc  M.  S.  Deane  a  H.  Johnson  &  J.  All     .  1,400 

"  17.  Compte'  a  M.  S.  Deane,  sur  re§u 4,800 

«  24.           "                "                "                 2,400 

«  30.           "                "                "                 26,715 

"  30.  Paye"                 "                "                4,800* 

Thus  Mr.  Deane,  no  longer  a  Commissioner,  takes  out  of  the 
public  treasury,  entrusted  to  your  Commissioners  only,  in  the 
space  of  thirteen  days,  38,715  livres,  or  £1,700  sterling,  to  his 
own  use.  It  may  be  imagined  this  was  to  pay  the  necessary 
expenses  he  had  incurred  here.  But  I  appeal  to  the  banker's 
accounts,  to  the  Hon.  John  Adams,  Esq.,  and  young  Mr.  Frank 
lin,  whether  his  houserent,  his  furniture,  his  carriage,  and  even 
the  wages  of  his  servants,  have  not  been  paid  since  out  of  the 
public  money.  Neither  can  he  pretend  it  was  for  the  expenses 
of  his  voyage,  since  these  were  defrayed  by  His  Most  Christian 
Majesty. 

That  he  concealed  his  recall  from  his  colleagues,  will  appear 
from  the  following  letter  of  Dr.  Franklin.  As  I  had  heard  a 
report  of  Mr.  Deane's  recall  and  Mr.  Adams's  appointment,  I 
thought  it  more  delicate  to  inquire  about  the  fact  from  Dr. 
Franklin  than  from  Mr.  Deane,  and  therefore  I  wrotef  to  the 
former  to  know  whether  there  was  any  intelligence  received  at 

*  I  have  compared  the  above  with  the  original  accounts  delivered  in  by  Mr. 
Grand,  and  find  the  statement  and  sums  to  be  just.  H.  Ford,  Secretary. 

[A  NOTE  ADDED  IN  PHILADELPHIA.] — The  first  three  sums,  amounting  to  1,890 
livres,  have  been  omitted  in  Mr.  Lee's  account,  which  he  calls  in  gross,  38,715 ; 
but  the  whole  amount,  from  the  15th  to  the  30th  of  March,  is  40,605,  the  differ 
ence  1,890.  The  reading  should  therefore  be  :  "in  the  space  of  15  days,  40,605 
livres,  or  £1,776  9  4-£  sterling,"  computing  livres  at  10£  d.  After  having  re 
ceived  his  recall,  and  information  that  another  person  was  appointed  Commis 
sioner  in  his  place,  Mr.  Deane's  power  over  money  in  the  public  banker's  hands 
ceased,  and  he  ought  not  to  have  touched  a  livre  of  it  without  an  order  first  ob 
tained  from  his  late  colleagues. 

f  See  the  authenticated  letter,  No.  XX. 


166  MR.  LEE'S  NARRATIVE. 

Passy,  of  the  recall  of  one  of  the  Commissioners.     To  this  I  re 
ceived  the  following  answer : — 

PASSY,  March  13,  1778. 
DEAR  SIR — 

I  have  been  told  that  some  passengers  landed  at  Orient,  from  an  American 
ship,  report  that  Mr.  Adams  is  coming  out  to  replace  Mr.  Deane  ;  but  I  have  re 
ceived  no  advice  of  that  kind  from  Congress,  and  suppose  that,  if  true,  he  will 
bring  their  orders  with  him. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  &c. 

Signed  B.  FRANKLIN.* 

But  these  were  not  his  only  transgressions  against  the  laws 
of  his  country  at  that  period.  Mr.  Deane  knew  that  it  was  one 
of  the  fundamental  laws  of  our  Union,  that  no  person  in  the 
service  of  the  United  States  should  accept  from  any  king, 
prince,  or  minister,  any  present  or  gratuity  whatsoever.  He 
knew  it,  because  the  Articles  of  Confederation  were  transmitted 
here,  and  printed  by  our  order,  and  delivered  to  this  court  and 
several  others:  yet,  in  the  face  of  this  fundamental  law,  Mr. 
Deane  accepted  of  a  gold  snuffbox,  set  with  diamonds,  from 
the  King  of  France.  This  court  was  at  that  moment  anxious 
to  gain  every  influence  for  the  ratification  of  the  treaties,  and 
the  disappointment  of  the  British  Commissioners,  the  extent  of 
whose  offers  were  not  known,  and  Mr.  Deane  was  too  modest 
to  refuse  the  douceur  they  offered. 

"Dr.  Berkenhout,"  says  Mr.  Deane,  "hath  since  said  that  he 
had  letters  to  the  Hon.  Kichard  Henry  Lee,  Esq.,  from  the  Hon. 
Arthur  Lee,  Esq.,  joint  Commissioner  of  the  United  States  at 
the  Court  of  Versailles,  and  sole  Commissioner  of  these  States 
at  the  Court  of  Madrid."  Before  whom  did  Dr.  Berkenhout 
say  this?  Was  it  to  General  Maxwell,  or  to  the  council  which 
examined  and  released  him?  Did  Providence  reveal  this  also 
to  Mr.  Deane?  Was  it  revealed  before  or  after  the  Dr.'s  de 
parture?  Wherefore  was  it  that  Mr.  Deane,  who  knew  of  his 
being  in  Philadelphia,  who  had,  as  he  pretends,  suspicions  of 

*  See  the  authenticated  copy,  No.  XX. 


MR.   LEE'S  NARRATIVE.  167 

my  correspondence  with  him,  and  of  my  designs  against  the 
independence  of  my  country  in  favor  of  the  English,  did  not 
give  information  against  the  Dr.  when  in  custody,  and  have 
him  examined  as  to  this  particular  and  important  point?  What 
was  it  sealed  his  lips,  till  opening  them  could  be  of  no  use,  but 
that  of  aspersing  those  he  hated,  and  has  infinite  reason  to  fear? 
Particulars  are  not  for  Mr.  Deane's  purpose,  they  would  en 
danger  his  "stubborn  and  undeniable  facts."  General  slander, 
vague  and  dark  accusation,  are  at  once  his  dart  and  his  defence. 
His  malice  gives  a  certain  force  to  his  accusations,  and  people 
are  apt  to  mistake  at  first  the  venom  of  the  shaft  for  the  vigor 
of  the  bow.  When  slander  is  his  object,  no  name  escapes  him. 
When  evidence  is  required,  his  delicacy  about  names  is  in 
vincible. 

I  not  only  never  wrote  a  line  to  Dr.  Berkenhout  about  my 
brother,  or  any  other  person  in  America,  but  neither  he  nor  Mr. 
Temple  ever  apprised  me  of  their  intention  of  going.  I  was 
informed  of  it  by  others  just  about  the  time  of  their  sailing,  and 
had  some  correspondence  on  the  subject,  of  which  I  send  copies.* 

As  to  my  being  at  once  "joint  Commissioner  at  the  Court  of 
Versailles,  and  sole  Commissioner  at  the  Court  of  Madrid,"  it 
is  a  wilful  and  shameless  perversion  of  truth,  for  as  shameless  a 
purpose — that  of  deceiving  the  public  and  calumniating  their 
absent  servant.  I  have  seen  Mr.  Deane  read  my  commission 
more  than  once;  he  knew  that  when  I  became  Commissioner  at 
the  Court  of  Madrid  I  ceased  to  be  such  at  the  Court  of  Ver 
sailles  ;  nay,  that  the  moment  I  quitted  Paris  to  enter  upon  the 
Commission  at  Madrid,  my  powers  as  Commissioner  here  ceased, 
and  were  no  more.  The  words  are :  "  Provided,  always,  that 
the  said  Arthur  Lee  shall  continue  to  be  possessed  of  all  the 
powers  heretofore  given  him  as  a  Commissioner  at  the  Court  of 
France  from  these  States,  so  long  as  he  shall  remain  in  and  be 
present  at  the  said  court" 

*  See  No.  XV.  of  the  authenticated  extracts,  at  the  letters  (D)  and  (E). 


168  MR.  LEE'S  NARRATIVE. 

Thus  the  existence  of  the  one  was  incompatible  with  that  of 
the  other  Commission,  and  they  could  not  possibly  take  place 
in  me  at  the  same  time.  Thus,  too,  Congress  had  a  person 
ready  to  embrace  the  first  favorable  moment  of  negotiating 
with  Spain  without  any  additional  expense,  which  must  neces 
sarily  have  been  double,  had  they  appointed  another  person; 
yet  this  wise  and  economical  measure  of  Congress  excited  infi 
nitely  Mr.  Deane's  spleen;  because,  either  in  his  misconception 
or  misrepresentation,  it  showed  an  extraordinary  confidence  in 
the  man  he  hated,  and  whose  ruin  he  meditated. 

" Hinc  spargere  voces, 


In  vulgum  ambiguas,  et  quserere  conscius  arma." 

But,  admitting  two  commissions  had  been  actually  confided  in 
me  at  once ;  how  came  this  to  give  such  alarm  to  Mr.  Deane's 
virtue,  when  it  was  not  shocked  in  the  least  at  having  an  hun 
dred  committed  to  the  three,  which  according  to  this  plan  were 
soon  appropriated  to  my  two  colleagues,  and  were  likely  to  vest 
in  Mr.  Deane  alone  ?  I  was  dispatched  to  Madrid ;  Dr.  Frank 
lin  or  Mr.  Deane  was  to  go  to  Holland.  Suppose  it  had  been 
the  former;  then  Mr.  Deane,  whose  acquaintance,  with  Europe, 
its  language,  courts,  and  politics,  was  of  two  whole  months 
standing,  and  who  had  travelled  quite  from  Bordeaux  to  Paris, 
might  have  had  at  once  the  negotiations  to  manage  with  the 
Courts  of  Versailles,  Vienna,  Prussia,  Portugal,  Sardinia,  Naples, 
Tuscany,  Eussia,  Sweden,  Denmark,  Poland,  the  Swiss  Cantons, 
all  the  Electors  and  sovereign  Princes  of  the  Empire,  those  of 
Italy,  the  Grand  Seignior,  the  Emperor  of  Morocco,  and  the 
Barbary  States;  yet  I  do  not  remember  that  the  modesty  and 
diffidence  of  Mr.  Deane  expressed  the  least  apprehension  at  the 
probability  of  so  much  power  devolving  upon  him  alone.  His 
mind  seems  to  have  been  entirely  employed  in  providing  against 
the  possibility  of  so  unequal  a  weight  falling  upon  my  shoul 
ders.  We  are  not  to  search  too  deep  for  the  motive  of  so 
obliging  an  act. 


MR.   LEE'S  NARRATIVE.  169 

Mr.  Deane's  piece  was  published  on  the  5th  of  December. 
On  the  14th  of  September  preceding,  Dr.  Franklin  was  chosen 
Minister  Plenipotentiary  here;  and,  consequently,  I  was  no 
more  a  Commissioner  at  the  Court  of  Versailles.  If  it  were 
possible  to  conceive  that  Mr.  Deane,  though  residing  in  Phila 
delphia,  and  attentive  to  the  proceedings  of  Congress,  could  be 
ignorant  of  this,  his  own  advices  to  France  announcing  it, 
would  prove  that  when  he  published  to  the  people  on  the  5th 
of  December  that  I  was  a  "joint  Commissioner  at  the  Court  of 
Versailles  and  sole  Commissioner  at  the  Court  of  Madrid"  he 
asserted  that  which  he  knew  to  be  untrue,  and  this  with  the 
worst  and  basest  of  all  purposes,  the  imposing  upon  the  public, 
to  induce  them  to  censure  Congress  and  myself  unjustly. 

Mr.  Deane  informs  the  public  that,  "unfortunately  for  them 
I  gave  universal  disgust  to  the  nation  whose  assistance  we 
solicited."  He  had  taken  so  entirely  the  business  of  the  Com 
mission  into  his  own  hands,  that  not  a  millionth  part  of  the 
nation  knew  that  I  was  a  Commissioner  or  even  that  I  existed. 
Of  all  the  letters  addressed  from  different  parts  of  the  king- 
donij  there  was  not  one  in  an  hundred  which  bore  my  name. 
The  following  passage  of  a  letter  from  the  Messrs.  Delaps,  of 
Bordeaux,  will  show  the  fact  and  reason  of  it. 

"  January  3,  1778. 

"We  •wrote  several  letters  addressed  to  your  direction,  to  which  we  received 
answers  only  from  Messrs.  Franklin  and  Deane,  which  gave  us  room  to  ima 
gine  you  were  absent;  in  consequence  of  which  we  replied  only  to  them  gen 
tlemen." 

Neither  these  letters  nor  answers  in  general  were  communi 
cated  to  me.  In  answer  to  his  assertion,  I  will  subjoin  a  single 
week's  engagements  from  my  memorandums,  from  which  every 
one  may  judge  on  what  terms  I  was  with  the  French  nation. 
Possibly  Mr.  Deane  may  have  poetically  put  his  friend  M. 
Beaumarchais  for  the  French  nation,  as  I  certainly  have  given 
him  disgust  by  opposing  a  demand  for  £200,000  sterling 
22 


170  MR.  LEE'S  NARRATIVE. 

against  my  country,  the  justice  of  which  I  have  very  good  rea 
son  to  doubt. 

Note  of  Engagements  to  Dine. — Thursday,  M.  Turgot ;  Friday, 
Count  Sarsfield  ;  Saturday,  Count  "Welsh ;  Sunday,  Prince  Tin- 
gry  ;  Monday,  Duchess  d'Anvelle ;  Tuesday,  Mons.  de  Sartine, 
Ministre  de  Guerre;  Thursday,  le  Mareschal  DucdeMouchy; 
Saturday,  Due  de  Aien.  Mr.  Deane's  calumny  obliges  me  to 
make  a  show  of  the  attention  paid  to  me  here  by  persons  of  the 
highest  rank,  which  otherwise  I  never  should  have  mentioned. 
There  could  not  be  a  thing  more  notorious  than  that  I  asso 
ciated  with  and  cultivated  the  French  people  ten  times  more 
than  Mr.  Deane.  It  is  true  that  I  did  not  attempt  to  have  my 
name  celebrated  as  all-powerful  and  all-bounteous  in  every 
coffee  house  in  Paris,  by  arrogating  sovereign  power,  giving 
commissions  and  recommendatory  letters  to  all  persons  who 
would  attend  at  my  levy  and  flatter  my  greatness.  I  considered 
such  conduct  as  criminal,  and  never  concurred  in  it.  In  my 
judgment  it  was  an  usurpation  of  the  sovereign  power  which 
sent  us,  and  exercised  without  the  least  discretion  or  discern 
ment.  It  is  in  vain  to  say  the  court  was  desirous  these  officers 
might  be  sent,  and  that  recommendatory  letters  were  not  con 
clusive  upon  Congress.  I  have  had  it  from  Count  Vergennes 
himself  that  he  disapproved  of  it.  Those  who  gave  the  recom 
mendatory  letters  knew  that  the  persons  receiving  them  con 
sidered  them  as  commissions,  and  when  they  were  disappointed, 
they  deemed  and  complained  of  it  as  an  act  of  the  highest  in 
justice.*  Congress  know  how  much  money  and  disquiet  these 
ill-judged  and  presumptuous  proceedings  have  cost  them  and 
the  public.  As  soon  as  Mr.  Deane  informed  me  of  his  arrival 
and  business,  I  came  to  Paris  at  the  hazard  of  my  life,  to  con 
sult  with  him,  and  communicate  to  him  whatever  was  in  my 
power  for  his  information.  Without  derogating  from  the  trans 
cendent  abilities  of  which  this  gentleman  thinks  himself  pos- 

*  See  the  authenticated  copy  of  a  letter,  No.  XXII. ,  which  is  a  strong  proof. 


•  MR.   LEE'S  NARRATIVE.  171 

sessed,  it  might  have  been  supposed  that  one  who  had  been  so 
long  in  Europe,  engaged  and  active  from  the  beginning,  in  this 
question,  repeatedly  employed,  and  actually  in  equal  trust  with 
himself,  might  have  given  some  useful  advice.  But  Mr.  Deane 
neither  ever  communicated  to,  nor  consulted  with  me,  and 
when  I  offered  my  opinion,  he  received  it  with  such  captious 
rudeness  and  indecency >as  soon  satisfied  me  of  the  inutility  of 
again  repeating  it. 

I  hope  I  shall  be  pardoned  for  begging  the  attention  of  Con 
gress  while  I  answer  also  the  accusations  of  Mr.  Deane  against 
my  brother,  who,  being  absent  in  Germany,  cannot  defend  him 
self  by  this  opportunity.  I  have  in  my  possession,  proofs  of 
the  untruth  of  every  charge  which  he  has  made. 

Mr.  Deane  says,  that,  after  informing  Mr.  William  Lee  of  his 
appointment  as  Commercial  Agent,  "  he  heard  nothing  from  him 
till  the  month  of  June,  when  he  arrived  in  Paris."  My  brother 
wrote  to  me  immediately  that  he  would  come  over  as  soon  as 
he  could  settle  his  affairs,  of  which  I  informed  both  my  col 
leagues.  He  carne  while  I  was  in  Germany,  and  remained  here 
by  the  express  advice  of  Dr.  Franklin  and  Mr.  Deane,  he  having 
no  commission  to  act,  and  they  refusing  to  give  him  any  counte 
nance,  till  Mr.  Ross  wrote  in  the  following  words,  from  Nantz, 
to  testify  that  he  was  authorized,  and  to  press  his  coming 
down. 

"NANTZ,  22dJuly,  1777. 

"  Permit  me  now  to  inform  you  that  Mr.  Morris  is  possessed  of  the  instruc 
tions  to  Mr.  Lee  from  committee  of  Congress,  on  his  being  appointed  Commercial 
Agent  here ;  since  your  last  letter  came  to  my  hand  I  suspected  thus  to  be  the 
case  from  some  circumstances,  and  by  accident  last  evening  learnt  it  to  be  so. 
These  instructions  are  contained  in  a  letter  addressed  to  Mr.  Lee  and  Mr.  Morris 
as  joint  agents,  which  is  similar  and  of  equal  force  with  the  separate  powers  on 
which  Mr.  Morris  has  acted  hitherto.  I  therefore  take  the  liberty  to  recommend 
Mr.  Lee's  repairing  hither  immediately  to  assume  the  management. 

Signed  "JOHN  ROSS." 

This  letter  was  addressed  to  Mr.  Deane;  their  consent  could 


172  MR.  LEE'S  NARRATIVE. 

now  no  longer  with  any  decency  be  withheld,  and  my  brother 
set  out  for  Nantz  with  a  letter  from  us,  recommending  harmony 
between  the  commercial  agents  in  conducting  the  public  busi 
ness.  Unfortunately  for  my  brother's  peace,  that  harmony  ap 
peared  to  have  taken  place,  as  we  soon  received  a  joint  letter 
from  them  stating  that  the  powers  given  to  Mr.  Williams  by 
Mr.  Deane  for  his  name  only,  appeared  in  them,  though  it  ap 
peared  afterward  that  Dr.  Franklin  had  confirmed  them,  were 
incompatible  with  their  agency,  and  therefore  they  requested 
those  powers  might  be  recalled.  An  answer  was  prepared  to 
this  letter  and  shown  to  me;  it  expressed  a  willingness  to 
recall*  those  powers  and  to  vest  them  in  Mr.  Lee  alone,  with 
very  strong  expressions  against  Mr.  Morris.  I  objected  what 
was  obvious,  that  this  would  destroy  the  harmony  recom 
mended,  and  without  which  the  public  business  could  not  go 
on ;  that  the  right  answer  seemed  to  me  plain  and  simple,  which 
was  to  recall  the  powers  complained  of,  without  saying  any 
thing  for  or  against  either  of  the  gentlemen,  which  it  was  mani 
fest  would  be  productive  of  bad  consequences.  My  opinion 
was  not  approved.  Neither  that  nor  any  other  answer  was 

*  The  sincerity  of  this  profession  will  appear  from  the  following  extract  of  a 
letter  in  the  handwriting  of  Mr.  Williams,  dated  Nantz,  21st  August,  1777,  and 
which  also  shows  the  private  traffic  they  were  carrying  on. 
"  To  the  Honorable  SILAS  DEANE,  Esq. — 

"I  have  received  your  favor  of  the  18th  inst.,  and  observe  that  matters  rela 
tive  to  the  ships  of  war  and  prizes  are  to  remain  as  they  were.  The  Lion  goes 
on  as  fast  as  possible.  I  have  been  on  board  the  prize  brig,  and  do  not  think 
she  is  so  very  fine  as  was  at  first  supposed;  she  is  a  very  good  merchant  vessel, 
but  is  not  well  fitted  for  a  fighting  one,  though  capable  of  carrying  about  twelve 
guns,  for  a  small  defence,  but  they  must  all  fight  exposed.  Mr.  Ross  tells  me 
he  has  written  to  you  on  the  subject,  and  the  matter  rests  whether  according  to 
his  letter  you  will  undertake  or  not ;  if  we  take  her  on  private  account  she  must 
be  passed  at  13,000  livres,  because  that  has  been  offered  for  her,  and  I  believe 
that  is  the  extent  she  would  sell  for  without  guarantee. 

Signed  "JONATHAN  WILLIAMS." 

True  extract.     H.  Ford,  Secretary. 


MR.   LEE'S  NARRATIVE.  173 

ever  sent  to  this  or  to  any  of  the  letters  written  to  us  by  the 
agents,  jointly  or  separately. 

My  brother  returned  to  Paris  in  October,  and  then  received 
his  commissions.  On  the  13th,  the  Commissioners  met  by  his 
desire  (and  Mr.  Izard  attended),  when  he  gave  them  an  account 
of  the  situation  of  the  commercial  affairs  at  Nantz,  and  stated, 
that  in  consequence  of  the  powers  given  to  Mr.  Williams,  a 
quarrel  had  been  produced,  which  made  it  impossible  to  con 
duct  the  public  business  with  effect  till  these  were  recalled  and 
the  Commissioners  gave  their  support  openly  to  the  agents  ap 
pointed  by  the  Committee.  He  said,  people  in  general  could 
not  determine  who  was  Commercial  Agent,  and  others  took 
advantage  of  their  mutual  pretensions  and  endeavored  to  play 
one  against  the  other.  There  was  a  prize  or  prizes  lying 
stripped,  plundered,  and  rotting ;  no  one  choosing  to  become 
purchaser,  under  an  uncertainty  of  who  had  the  true  authority 
to  sell.  He  therefore  begged  to  know  whether  they  would 
recall  this  order  from  Mr.  Williams,  and  support  him  in  the 
execution  of  his  office.  The  two  eldest  Commissioners  professed 
a  willingness  to  recall  the  order,  but  positively  refused  to  give 
them  any  support.  Thus  the  meeting  ended  ineffectually,  the 
order  being  not  only  not  recalled,  but  soon  after  confirmed  and 
extended.*  Congress  will  therefore  judge  with  what  propriety 
and  truth  Mr.  Lee  is  accused  of  having  "declined  to  regulate 
these  affairs  when  loudly  called  upon."  The  addition  that  he 

*  Extract  of  a  letter  from  Nantz  to  Dr.  Franklin,  18th  April,  1778. 
"DEAR  AND  HONORED  SIR — 

"  As  I  never  had  any  recall  of  the  power  the  Commissioners  gave  me,  I  was  in 
duty  bound  to  signify  to  M.  Schweighauser  that  I  should  oppose  those  of  his 
powers  from  Mr.  Lee  that  should  interfere  with  mine.  Mr.  A.  Lee  is  informed 
of  this,  and  demands  of  me  copies  of  the  powers  I  hold  from  the  Commissioners, 
which  I  have  accordingly  made  out;  but  as  I  do  not  choose  to  give  your  signa 
ture  without  your  knowledge,  I  inclose  the  copies  to  you  and  beg  you  will  give 
them  to  Mr.  Lee,  if  you  see  no  objection. 

"JONATHAN  WILLIAMS." 

This  letter  is  in  the  handwriting  of  Mr.  Williams.     H.  Ford. 


174  MR.  LEE'S  NARRATIVE. 

declined  it,  "lest  his  property  in  England  should  be  affected," 
is  a  surmise  and  a  calumny  entirely  worthy  of  Mr.  Deane.  A 
letter  had  long  before  that  been  written  from  Paris  to  London, 
and  published  in  the  newspapers,  giving  his  name  at  large,  with 
information  of  his  being  at  Paris,  and  having  accepted  of  the 
commercial  agency.*  His  wife,  children,  and  fortune,  were  in 
the  power  of  the  enemy,  to  whom  this  information  was  given. 
I  am  not  the  only  person  who  had  it  from  a  gentleman  much  in 
their  secrets,  that  this  letter  was  written  by  persons  under  Mr. 
Deane's  roof,  and  known  to  be  under  his  direction. 

Mr.  Deane  proceeds :  "  He  returned  to  Paris,  and  there  re 
ceived  his  appointment  of  Commissioner  to  the  Courts  of  Vienna 
and  Berlin;  he  continued,  nevertheless,  inactive  at  Paris  until 
the  month  of  December,  carefully  concealing  his  appointment, 
which  might  indeed  have  militated  against  hisq^zce  of  Alderman 
of  London,  which  he  did  then  and  probably  does  still  retain. 
When  the  news  of  General  Burgoynds  defeat  and  surrender  arrived, 
it  produced  a  revolution  in  the  minds  of  many,  and  among 
others,  inspired  your  Commercial  Agent  and  political  Commissioner, 
the  Honorable  Wm.  Lee,  Esq.,  with  some  degree  of  activity  in  your 
favor}'' 

This  infamous  aspersion  comes  from  the  man  who  knew  that 
my  brother  had  come  from  London,  had  openly  taken  upon 
him  the  agency,  went  down  to  Nantz  where  every  one  saw  him 

*  "Dr.  Lee's  brother,  the  Alderman  of  London,  is  arrived  here;  he  hath  ac 
cepted  of  the  employment  of  Commercial  Agent  to  Congress — the  Alderman  is  so 
much  of  a  courtier  that  he  places  all  virtue  in  economy."  The  preceding  is  an 
extract  of  a  letter  dated  Paris,  12th  July,  1777,  and  inserted  in  the  Public 
Ledger  of  22d  July. 

Extract  of  another  letter  taken  from  the  Public  Ledger,  and  dated  Paris,  25th 
August,  1777. 

"  What  doth  the  court  of  Aldermen  say  to  Lee's  departure  ?  He  lives  [in]  the 
Rue  Jacob,  in  as  sparing  a  manner  as  American  frugality  will  permit,  and  yet  I 
am  told  his  allowance  from  the  Congress  as  their  Commercial  Agent  is  considera 
ble.  His  brother,  Dr.  Lee,  hath  dropped  Sayre  in  Germany." 

True  extract.     H.  Ford,  Secretary. 


MB.   LEE'S  NARRATIVE.  175 

act  as  agent,  had  written  a  number  of  letters  as  such  to  the 
Commissioners,  and  of  whose  acceptance  of  the  place  public 
notice  had  long  been  given  in  the  English  papers.  His  ap 
pointments  as  Commissioner  were  received  by  us,  and  given  to 
him  by  us,  as  appears  by  our  common  letter  to  the  Committee.* 
From  whom  did  he  carefully  conceal  them?  Does  this  man 
mean  that  he  did  not  proclaim  them  to  the  world  ?  He  charges 
me  with  not  concealing  mine,  and  my  brother  with  concealing 
his.  Charges  equally  false  and  equally  foolish. 

On  the  13th  November,  as  I  was  in  correspondence  with  the 
Prussian  Secretary  of  State,  I  wrote  to  him  by  my  brother's 
desire,  as  follows: — 

"  Since  I  had  the  honor  of  receiving  your  Excellency's  favor  of  the  8th,  a  com 
mission  has  been  received  appointing  Win.  Lee,  Esq.,  deputy  of  Congress  to  the 
Court  of  Berlin,  with  powers  to  negotiate  a  treaty  of  amity  and  commerce  with 
the  King  of  Prussia.  Your  Excellency  will  have  the  goodness  to  communicate  to 
us  His  Majesty's  pleasure  relative  to  this  Commissioner's  coming  to  Berlin,  in 
which  he  will  entirely  conform  himself  to  the  king's  sentiments." 

To  this,  I  received  the  following  answer,  dated  28th  of  No 
vember  :  — 

"Quant  a  la  commission  du  Sieur  Guillaume  Lee,  le  Roi  ayant  declare",  plu- 
sieurs  fois,  ses  sentiments  sur  les  difficult^  actuelles  d'une  liason  de  commerce 
avec  PAme'rique,  malgr£  sa  bonne  volonte*  constante  pour  le  Colonies,  ne  sauroit 
prevoir  comment,  les  circumstances  n'aient  point  change's  le  Sieur  Lee,  pourroit 
faire  a  sa  Majeste"  des  propositions  plus  acceptables,  ni  par  consequent  qu'il 
pourroit  etre  le  but  ou  le  succes  de  sa  mission,  "f 

On  the  23d  of  December  he  wrote  me  again: — 

"  Je  ne  manquerai  pas  d'averter  M.  Guillaume  Lee,  dis  qui  le  Roi  jugera  que 
son  arrived  a  Berlin  peut  etre  d'une  utilitg  mutuelle."J 

The  death  of  the  Elector  of  Bavaria,  as  I  mentioned  before,(l) 

*  See  the  authenticated  copy,  No.  XXIII. 
f  See  the  authenticated  extracts,  No.  XXIV. 
%  See  the  authenticated  extracts,  No.  XXIV. 


176  ME.  LEE'S  NARRATIVE. 

prevented  this  moment  of  mutual  utility  from  arriving,  and 
consequently  my  brother's  reception  at  Berlin. 

In  the  meantime  my  brother  himself  communicated  his  com 
mission  for  Vienna  to  Count  Merci,  the  imperial  ambassador, 
who  informed  his  court,  from  which  still  less  encouragement 
was  received. 

On  the  4th  of  December  Mr.  Austin  arrived  with  the  news  of 
Burgoyne's  defeat  and  surrender,  and  the  battle  of  German- 
town.  The  French  court  upon  this  approaching  us  to  treat,  it 
was  thought  proper  for  him,  especially  as  the  King  of  Prussia 
promised  to  follow  their  example,  to  wait  the  effect  of  the  con 
clusion  of  the  treaty,  and  the  declaration  of  our  independency, 
which  we  supposed  would  follow  it.  When  these  took  place, 
he  departed  for  Frankfort,  having  first  consulted  both  the 
Commissioners  here  and  the  minister,  on  which  court  he  should 
apply  to  first.  But  Hanover,  and  its  connections,  having  taken 
part  against  the  empress,  Vienna  seemed  to  promise  the  fairest 
opening.  The  rest  he  will  explain  himself.  It  suffices  that  I 
have  opened  enough  to  show  the  malice  and  untruth  of  Mr. 
Deane's  charges  and  insinuations;  or,  as  he  terms  them,  his 
"stubborn  and  undeniable  facts." 

As  to  the  aldermanship,  my  brother  wrote  soon  after  his  first 
arrival  here,  to  his  most  patriotic  common  councilmen,  that  he 
would  send  them  his  resignation  whenever  they  found  it  con 
venient  to  make  a  new  election  as  they  liked.  It  appears  by 
the  English  papers,  that  it  was  not  till  last  St.  Thomas's  day 
that  they  requested  his  resignation,  and  this  in  consequence 
of  a  second  offer  from  him  at  Frankfort. 

"He  appointed,"  says  Mr.  Deane,  "sundry  commercial  agents, 
dismissed  one  who  did  the  business  at  two  per  cent.,  and  shares 
five  per  cent,  with  the  others  for  superintending,  at  Vienna,  the 
business  done  on  your  account  a  thousand  miles  off  from  his 
place  of  residence." 

His  accuser  is  one  who  applied  to  the  court  here  to  give  Mr. 
William  Lee,  as  surviving  Commercial  Agent,  an  order  to  re- 


MR.    LEE'S   NARRATIVE.  177 

ceive  the  papers  of  the  deceased  Mr.  Thomas  Morris.  Of  this 
our  joint  letter  of  January  informed  Congress.*  In  Mr.  Deane's 
estimation,  therefore,  he  continued  competent  to,  and  bound  to 
act  in  that  office,  notwithstanding  his  new  appointment.  To 
discharge  that  trust  until  a  new  agent  should  be  nominated, 
my  brother  appointed  three  of  the  most  unexceptionable  men 
in  France,  Messieurs  Schweighauser,  Bondfield,  and  Semosin. 
All  this  he  wrote  to  the  Committee,  desiring  a  new  appointment, 
and  we  both  pressed  the  same  to  our  private  friends,  as  essen 
tially  necessary  to  the  public  good.  It  is  now  near  a  year  since 
Congress  resolved,  that  the  Commissioners  here  should  appoint 
an  agent  or  two  to  supply  his  place.  We  answered  Congress, 
as  they  would  probably  appoint  consuls  agreeable  to  the  treaty, 
we  should  inform  Congress  if  we  found  it  necessary  to  make 
any  change  in  the  agents  Mr.  William  Lee  had  appointed.! 

That  he  dismissed  Mr.  Williams  is  directly  contrary  to  truth; 
he  neither  appointed  nor  dismissed  him.  Dr.  Franklin  and  Mr. 
Deane  appointed  him.  Dr.  Franklin,  Mr.  Adams,  and  myself, 
dismissed  him.:];  I  send  proofs  from  Mr.  Williams's  own  letter,§ 
and  accounts,!  that  he  has  done  the  very  thing,  with  regard  to 
sharing  the  five  per  cent.,  with  which  Mr.  Deane  charges  my 
brother.  I  also  inclose  evidence  from  the  letters  of  Mr.  Wil 
liams,^  and  Mr.  Morris,  that  it  was  the  latter  who  made  this 
agreement  with  him,  without  the  knowledge  or  participation  of 
my  brother,  though  they  knew  he  was  joint  Commercial  Agent, 
and  was  at  Paris;  where  it  was  the  intention  of  the  Committee 
that  the  agent  should  reside,  and  where  Mr.  Deane  must  ac 
knowledge  he  stationed  himself,  when  in  that  department.  It 
was  by  such  little  tricks  as  these  that  all  order  and  decency 

*  See  authenticated  extracts,  No.  XXV. 

f  See  the  authenticated  extracts,  No.  XXIX. 

J  See  the  authenticated  extracts,  No.  XXX. 

%  See  authenticated  extracts,  No.  XXVI. 

||  See  authenticated  extracts,  No.  XXVII. 

][  See  authenticated  extracts,  No.  XXVI.  and  XXVIII. 

23 


178  MR.  LEE'S  NARRATIVE. 

were  banished  from  the  conduct  of  our  commercial  affairs. 
Either  my  brother  must  have  acquiesced  in  this  agreement, 
whether  he  approved  of  it  or  not,  or  he  must  have  quarrelled 
with  his  colleagues;  either  of  which,  those  who  contrived  it, 
knew  would  equally  answer  their  purpose. 

"When  called  into  the  public  service,  my  brother  quitted  a 
situation  in  London,  at  which  few  strangers  ever  arrive.  He 
came  here  in  expectation  of  doing  service,  instead  of  which  he 
was  treated  with  every  kind  of  indignity  by  Mr.  Deane,  and 
obliged  to  acquiesce  under  the  usurpation  of  his  place  and 
powers  by  one  who,  a  year  before,  had  been  clerk  to  a  sugar- 
baker  in  that  city,  when  he  was  one  of  the  chief  magistrates 
and  merchants. 

As  to  the  commission  which  Mr.  Wm.  Lee  is  said  to  have 
shared,  he  neither  stipulated  for,  nor  shared  any  with  those  he 
appointed;*  and  I  am  most  sure  that  he  made  more  in  any  one 
week  in  London,  than  his  commissions  on  the  public  business 
amounted  to  in  ten  months.  But  how  utterly  void  of  every 
sense  of  shame  and  decency  must  Mr.  Deane  be,  who  inveighs 
so  violently  against  my  brother  for  bearing  at  once  a  political 
and  a  commercial  character,  when  he  tells  us  in  the  same 
breath,  that  he  himself  was  the  "  political  and  commercial  agent 
of  America  in  Europe."  He  resided  at  Paris,  had  five  per 
cent,  commission,  and  his  sphere  extended,  not  a  thousand 
only,  but  three  times  a  thousand  miles.  He  whose  extent  of 
travelling  had  been  bounded  by  Philadelphia,  and  whose  former 
life  gave  him  as  much  opportunity  of  knowing  the  merchants 
and  politics,  the  commercial  and  political  state  of  Europe,  as 
the  ship  that  brought  him.  Besides,  his  total  unacquaintance 
with  the  language  of  Europe,  rendered  the  acquisition  of  that 
knowledge,  for  some  time  at  least,  utterly  impracticable.  I 

*  See  Mr.  Schweighauser's  and  Mr.  Bondfield's  certificates,  that  my  brother 
neither  directly  nor  indirectly  stipulated  for,  nor  received  any  share  in  the  com 
missions,  nor  any  gratuity  whatsoever  for  his  appointment.  No.  XXXIII. 


MR.    LEE'S   NARRATIVE.  179 

have  sent  Congress  copies  of  Mr.  Williams's  accounts,  from 
which  it  will  appear,  that  instead  of  having  done  your  business 
for  two  per  cent,  he  has  received  two  per  cent,  for  not  doing  your 
business,  and  as  M.  Peltier  du  Doyer,  one  per  cent.,  besides 
gratuities  for  doing  it.  To  any  other  man  but  Mr.  Deane,  it 
would  be  felt  as  worse  than  death,  that  among  the  multitude  of 
his  charges  and  assertions,  there  is  not  one  but  what  is  refutable 
by  undeniable  evidence. 

After  having  thus  exposed  the  malice  and  untruth  of  Mr. 
Deane's  accusations,  the  honor  of  every  man  in  Congress  must 
feel  for  my  situation,  when  I  assure  them  that,  since  my  return 
from  Spain,  this  assassination  of  my  character,  which  is  now 
extended  to  America,  has  been  practised  without  intermission 
by  a  cabal  of  Mr.  Deane's,  both  in  Paris  and  London.*  These 
imputations  were  so  artfully  and  industriously  urged,  that  my 
best  friends  were  tainted  by  them  for  some  time.  But  this  is 
not  a  subject  which  I  shall  now  enter  into. 

In  every  accusation  the  character  of  the  accuser  ought  to  be 
considered.  Is  Mr.  Deane's  character  fair  ?  Is  he  an  unaccused 
man,  and  has  he  answered  by  anything  but  his  own  assertions, 
the  accusations  against  him?  Do  not  his  own  confessions  ren 
der  him  criminal,  and  are  there  not  upon  the  records  of  Con- 

*  Extract  of  a  letter  published  in  the  Public  Ledger,  and  dated  Paris,  July 
12,  1777. 

"Dr.  Lee  is  certainly  joined  in  the  Commission,  but  he  understands  the  busi 
ness  of  courts  so  ill,  that  not  one  of  the  ministers  will  negotiate  with  him.  He  is 
the  straight-laced  image  of  awkward  formality.  To  the  preciseness  of  a  Presbyte 
rian  he  endeavors  to  add  the  Jesuitism  of  a  Quaker.  The  one  renders  him  ridicu 
lous,  the  other  suspected.  When  he  thinks  he  is  imposing  on  mankind,  they  are 
laughing  at  him." 

Extract  from  another  letter,  printed  in  the  Public  Ledger,  Paris,  dated  Sept. 
2,  1777. 

"Two  of  these  Commissioners,  for  the  third  is  a  cipher,  are  protected  in  their 
public  capacities  by  the  Court  of  Versailles ;  the  Court  of  London  hath  sent  one 
ambassador,  the  Congress  of  America  have  sent  two,  to  France." 

True  copy.     Attest,  H.  Ford,  Secretary. 


180  MR.  LEE'S  NARRATIVE. 

gress,  or  of  the  Committee,  e.vidence  from  himself  of  his  illegal 
conduct,  and  of  the  malice  and  falsehood  of  many  of  his  accu 
sations  against  my  brother  and  me? 

"  Mr.  Lee,"  says  this  accuser,  "was  dragged  into  the  treaty 
with  the  utmost  reluctance."  The  authenticated  extracts  which 
I  have  the  honor  of  sending  from  my  private  and  public  letters 
from  the  first  moment  of  the  treaty's  being  taken  up  by  this 
court,  till  after  its  conclusion,  prove  that  this  charge  too  is,  like 
all  the  others,  destitute  of  every  color  of  truth. 

No  man,  it  will  appear,  could  be  more  anxious  for  its  con 
clusion,  nor  any  one  more  rejoiced  or  more  sanguine  in  his  ex 
pectation  from  it  than  myself.  Every  letter*  will  show  how 
strongly  my  sentiments  were  against  England  and  in  favor  of 
France.  It  was  my  hope  and  expectation  as  I  wrote  Mr.  S. 
Adams  the  1st  of  March,  "that  the  British  Commissioners 
would  return  as  they  came  unless  they  had  power  and  did 
acknowledge,  fully  and  clearly,  the  sovereignty  and  independ 
ence  of  America  as  an  indispensable  preliminary  ;f  this  hope 
and  this  expectation  were  fully  gratified  by  the  proceedings  of 
Congress.  I  also  gave  immediate  information  of  the  intention, 
the  British  ministry  discovered  of  endeavoring  to  succeed  by 
bribery.:}:  Congress  know  whether  Mr.  Deane  gave  the  same 
warning,  for  he  certainly  was  also  informed  of  it.  The  variety 
of  accusations  which  it  hath  pleased  Mr.  Deane  to  make  against 
my  brother  and  me,  has  necessarily  drawn  this  answer  into  a 
tedious  length.  Congress  I  am  sure  will  pardon  me.  When 
I  entered  the  public  service,  it  was  with  a  resolution  of  serving 
at  the  hazard  of  everything  but  of  my  honor  and  reputation, 
yet  I  feel  it  as  a  real  misfortune  that  I  am  compelled  to  call 
so  much  of  your  attention  to  what  may  be  deemed  the  con- 

*  See  authenticated  extracts,  No.  XXXI. 

f  See  extracts,  No.  XXXI.  (E.) 

J  See  No.  XXXI.  (D.)  "  But  the  ministry  of  Eugland  give  out  that  they  have 
dispatched  half  a  million  of  guineas  to  pave  the  way  to  a  favorable  reception  of 
their  propositions." 


MR.    LEE'S   NARRATIVE.  181 

cerns  of  individuals,  but  in  truth  the  public  is  highly  interested 
in  the  question.  There  is  one  observation  on  Mr.  Deane's  con 
duct  which  I  cannot  omit. 

He  acknowledges  his  having  been  passed  in  both  of  his 
suspicions,  and  what  he  grounds  them  upon  when  he  left 
France.  He  would  induce  us  to  believe  that  he  considered  his 
recall,  not  to  be  for  any  misdemeanor,  but  to  give  Congress  an 
account  of  their  affairs  in  Europe.  For  this  purpose  he  had 
two  audiences  of  Congress.  Now  I  appeal  to  every  man  living, 
whether,  if  he  had  the  least  evidence  to  support  his  suspicions, 
or  had  any  sense  of  the  duty  he  owed  to  his  country,  his  first 
word  ought  not  to  have  been,  "Gentlemen,  I  have  a  matter  to 
communicate  of  the  last  importance  to  these  United  States ;  I 
beg  a  secret  committee  may  be  immediately  appointed,  to  whom 
I  may  make  it  known,  that  upon  their  report  you  may  take 
such  measures  as  you  may  think  the  welfare  of  the  public  re 
quires." 

Could  there  be  possibly  anything  more  highly  and  immedi 
ately  interesting  to  the  common  weal,  than  the  treachery  of  one 
so  highly  trusted  as  I  was,  and  possessed  of  such  a  knowledge 
of  your  affairs,  as  to  have  it  in  my  power  to  do  infinite  injury? 
If  he  really  believed  what  he  pretends,  could  he  have  avoided 
making  this  communication?  Does  he  not  know  that  if  what 
he  mentions  could  be  proved,  and  would  fix  treason  upon  me, 
that  his  concealment  of  it  so  long  is  misprision  of  treason  ? 
From  the  19th  of  August  to  the  5th  of  December,  he  left  me  to 
do  all  the  mischief  to  the  public,  which  he  could  not  but  expect 
I  should  do,  if  I  were  guilty  of  what  he  accuses  me. 

At  length  he  publishes  it  to  all  the  world,  and,  of  conse 
quence  to  me.  It  was  therefore  a  warning  to  me,  if  guilty,  to 
go  over  to  the  enemy,  with  every  communication  that  could  be 
injurious  to  your  interests.  The  extremes  of  folly  and  unkind- 
ness  combined  could  not  have  dictated  a  conduct  so  opposite 
to  what  he  ought  to  have  pursued. 

The  truth  is  that  Mr.  Deane  expected,  from  the  effect  of  a 


182  MR.  LEE'S  NARRATIVE. 

French  fleet,  of  which  he  was  to  claim  the  sole  merit,  the  bril 
liancy  of  a  diamond  snuff-box,  and  complimentary  letter,  that 
he  should  have  nothing  to  do,  but  make  his  triumphal  entry 
into  Philadelphia,  and  return  immediately.  ***** 


APPENDIX  OF  DOCUMENTS  REFERRED  TO 
IN  SUPPORT  OF  MR.  LEE'S  LETTER. 


No.  I. 
FROM  JAMES  GARDOQUI,  WITH  A.  LEE'S  ANSWER. 

MADRID,  February  17,  1777. 
ARTHUR  LEE,  Esq.,  SIR — 

My  person  and  house,  in  the  commercial  way,  are  well  known  to  the  American 
colonies,  not  only  on  account  of  our  long  standing  correspondence  of  thirty  or 
forty  years,  but  also  on  that  of  the  true  affection  with  which  we  have  endeavored 
to  serve  them.  I  am  lately  arrived  at  Madrid  on  some  particular  affairs  which 
have  occasioned  my  treating  with  the  ministers  of  state  who  have  honored  me 
with  their  especial  favors  and  trust,  and  of  course  this  has  led  me  into  the  bottom 
of  the  principal  affairs  of  Europe,  among  which  I  have  talked  about  your  coming 
from  Paris  to  Spain,  undoubtedly  with  the  design  of  treating  on  the  subject  of 
the  colonies,  as  I  judge  they  have  already  done  and  continue  doing  at  said  Paris; 
but  having  heard  that  in  such  a  small  place  as  Madrid  it  would  be  absolutely 
impossible  to  remain  incog,  either  by  your  own  or  any  other  name,  and  you 
would  of  course  be  spied  by  the  gentlemen  here  who  have  a  real  interest  therein ; 
and,  consequently,  you  could  not  treat  with  the  ministers  without  hurting  the 
colonies  in  the  highest  degree  by  your  own  doings,  and  besides  you  would  set 
this  court  at  variance  without  success,  I  judge  you  will  improve  of  the  opportu 
nity  which  offers  by  chance,  and  I  think  is  an  excellent  one,  and  have  therefore 
no  objections  to  hint  it  to  you,  being  fully  assured  that  it  will  cause  no  dis 
pleasure  here. 

The  Marquis  of  Grimaldi  intends  to  set  out  soon  for  Biscay,  and  I  propose  to 
do  the  same  for  my  house  at  Bilboa,  all  which  we  shall  so  manage  as  to  meet  one 
and  the  other  at  Vitoria,  where  we  shall  tarry  under  some  good  disguise  until 
our  mutual  arrival,  and  as  this  noble  minister  has  had  to  this  day  the  entire 


184  APPENDIX  OF   DOCUMENTS. 

direction  of  all  affairs,  and  is,  of  course,  fully  acquainted  with  his  Majesty's  in 
tentions,  believe  it  is  the  only  person  with  whom  you  might  treat,  either  in  said 
place  or  some  country-house  that  might  be  picked  up  for  the  purpose,  and  there 
by  avoid  the  inconveniences  which  must  inevitably  follow,  by  your  coming  to 
Madrid.  By  the  aforesaid,  believe  I  have  given  you  a  proof  of  my  attachment  to 
the  colonies,  and  I  must  also  add,  with  all  truth,  that  the  principal  persons  here 
are  of  this  same  opinion,  although  the  present  state  of  affairs  obliges  them  to 
make  no  show  thereof.  In  short,  sir,  I  hope  you  will  approve  of  my  proposed 
method,  being  the  safest  and  most  natural  to  carry  out  the  views  of  both  parties, 
and  beg  you  would  give  me  an  answer  through  the  same  hands  as  the  present 
will  be  delivered  you,  doubting  not  but  you  will  tarry  at  said  Vitoria  until  we 
get  there ;  and  you  will  also  observe  that  you  will  be  at  full  liberty  to  proceed  to 
Madrid,  if  you  should  judge  proper,  after  you  have  talked  over  the  matter  with 
nobleman,  which  being  what  occurs. 

I  have  the  honor  to  subscribe  myself  sincerely,  sir, 

Your  most  obedient  humble  servant, 

JAMES  GARDOQUI. 

P.  S.  Having  considered  upon  the  properest  place  for  our  meeting,  we  have 
settled  it  on  that  of  Burgos,  instead  of  Vitoria,  which,  pray  note  accordingly, 
and  hope  to  meet  you  there. 

February  16,  1779.     Copy  of  a  letter  with  its  P.  S.,  signed  James  Gardoqui. 
Compared  by  John  Adams. 
Received  the  28th. 


ANSWER. 

BURGOS,  February  28,  1777. 
SIR— 

I  have  the  honor  of  yours  of  the  17th,  and,  agreeable  to  your  request,  will 
wait  for  you  at  this  place. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  sir, 

Your  most  obedient  servant, 

ARTHUR  LEE. 
Duplicate  copy.     H.  Ford,  Secretary. 

February  16,  1779.     Copy  of  a  minute,  in  the  handwriting  of  the  Hon.  Arthur 
Lee,  made  on  the  above  letter.     Compared  by  John  Adams. 

On  the  Inside  Cover. — "To  Arthur  Lee,  Esq.,  at " 

Outside. — "To  A.  Dr.  Arthur  Lee,  Caballero  Ingles." 


APPENDIX  OF   DOCUMENTS.  185 


No.  IV. 

EXTRACTS  FROM  THE  COMMISSIONERS'   LETTERS  TO  THE 
COMMITTEE  OF  CONGRESS. 

(B.) 

PARIS,  28th  April,  1777. 

"As  the  minister  from  Prussia  may  not  soon  arrive,  and  that  court  has  shown 
a  disposition  to  treat,  by  entering  into  a  correspondence  with  us,  we  have  thought 
it  might  be  well  that  one  of  us  should  visit  it  immediately,  to  improve  its  present 
good  dispositions,  and  obtain,  if  possible,  the  privilege  of  their  ports  to  trade 
and  fit  ships  in,  and  to  sell  our  prizes.  Mr.  Lee  has  readily  undertaken  this 
journey." 

Copy  of  a  paper  in  the  handwriting  of  M.  Gillee,  said  to  be  a  copy.  Compared 
by  John  Adams. 

(C.) 

PARIS,  8th  September,  1777. 

"Spain  not  having  yet  resolved  to  receive  a  minister  from  Congress,  Mr. 
Franklin  still  remains  here.  She  has,  however,  afforded  the  aids  we  formerly 
mentioned,  and  supplies  of  various  articles  have  continued  till  lately  to  be  sent, 
consigned  to  M.  Gerry,  much  of  which  we  hear  have  safely  arived." 

February  19,  1772.  Copy  of  extract  from  a  copy  attested  by  W.  T.  Franklin. 
Compared  by  John  Adams. 


No.  VIII. 
VERGENNES  TO  M.  GRAND. 

SIR— 

Your  idea  has  been  thought  to  be  good,  but  as  it  can  produce  only  a  small 
effect  without  a  frequent  repetition  of  it,  it  is  judged  best  to  defer  the  execution 
until  the  moment  arrives  proper  to  render  the  sensation  more  durable.  The 
news  received  from  Holland  from  the  envoy  of  certain  personages  in  America,  is 
not  confirmed  from  any  other  quarter.  There  is  no  longer  any  doubt  of  England's 
desire  of  peace ;  the  minister  himself  wishes  it,  but  I  do  not  believe  it  is  upon 
America's  terms.  Your  friends  are  neither  just  nor  honest,  if  they  complain  of 
the  bounds  which  must  be  set  to  the  enterprise  of  their  privateers.  They  have 

24 


186  APPENDIX  OF   DOCUMENTS. 

been  informed  of  what  can  be  granted ;  they  have  been  entreated  to  conform 
themselves  to  our  obligations.  We  have  exercised  a  patience  which  they  ought 
not  to  have  counted  on.  But  when  matters  are  carried  to  excess,  it  is  necessary 
to  let  them  see  that  we  are  not  insensible.  We  cannot  suffer  the  privateers  of 
any  nation  whatever  to  come  in  and  go  out  of  our  ports  as  they  would  in  and  out 
of  their  own ;  our  treaties  will  not  permit  it.  In  like  manner  we  cannot  admit 
the  sale  of  prizes.  As  to  everything  else  we  have  been  easy,  as  we  have  been 
heretofore,  in  whatever  could  be  expected.  It  is  with  regret  that  in  some  few 
cases,  although  we  have  had  frequent  occasion,  we  have  urged  some  severity ; 
however,  if  I  have  a  letter  written  to  me  couched  in  proper  terms,  I  shall  take 
order  for  returning  an  answer.  But  with  regard  to  what  you  tell  me  of  the  dis 
position  of  your  friends,  I  see  that  the  sentiment  of  friendship  is  not  deeply  en 
graved  in  them.  M.  De  Chaumont  hath  spoken  to  me  of  the  intention  they  now 
have  to  sell  their  privateers  here.  If  they  had  rather  send  them  away  let  them 
explain  themselves.  I  will  readily  undertake  to  procure  for  them  the  earliest 
permission,  provided  it  be  on  conditions  clearly  expressed,  not  to  return  again. 
As  to  Hodge,  you  know  what  engagement  he  had  made.  I  cannot  tell  whether 
in  America  it  is  allowable  to  use  such  insincerity,  but  in  France  and  in  Europe  it 
is  a  very  serious  offence  to  lie  to  a  king,  which  he  hath  done,  when  he  declared 
and  gave  bond  that  the  vessel  upon  leaving  Dunkerque  should  not  make  a  cruise. 

Signed  DE  VERGENNES. 

August  21,  1777. 


No.  IX. 
FROM  BARON  SCHULENBERG  TO  A.  LEE. 

BKRLIN,  January  16,  1778. 
SIR— 

In  answer  to  the  letter  which  you  did  me  the  honor  to  write  to  me  the  28th  of 
December  last  year,  I  begin  by  remarking  to  you,  sir,  that  before  this  last  I  re 
ceived  two  of  your  letters,  viz.,  of  the  4th  and  of  the  llth  of  that  same  month ; 
but  as  you  assure  me  of  having  written  two  since  the  fourth  of  December,  that 
expression  may  leave  some  doubt  whether  the  letter  of  the  4th  of  December  is 
counted  among  the  two  letters  of  which  you  speak  to  me,  or  not ;  in  the  latter 
case,  one  of  your  letters  will  have  been  lost.  As  to  myself,  sir,  after  my  letter 
of  the  13th  of  December,  the  receipt  of  which  you  acknowledge,  I  have  made 
you  two  replies,  the  18th  and  23d  of  the  same  month,  which,  I  hope,  you  will 
have  received.  I  address  this,  as  you  wish,  to  M.  Grand,  in  Montmartre  Street; 
and  that  you  may  be  certain,  in  future,  whether  any  of  our  letters  miscarry,  I 


APPENDIX   OF   DOCUMENTS.  187 

propose  to  you,  sir,  to  number  yours,  as  I  do  mine,  beginning  with  this  present 
one. 

The  reflections  which  you  make,  sir,  upon  the  present  state  of  affairs  in 
America  are  most  just;  and  we  do  in  fact  perceive  the  situation  of  Gen.  Howe  to 
be  embarrassed  and  difficult.  Time  must  show  whether,  and  how,  he  will  get 
out  of  it,  or  whether,  at  least,  he  will  take  and  maintain  his  quarters  with  more 
prudence  and  success  than  the  last  year. 

As  the  events  of  this  war  become,  from  day  to  day,  more  interesting,  I  repeat 
my  request,  sir,  that  you  will  be  pleased  to  communicate  regularly  to  me  the 
intelligence  which  you  may  receive.  The  king  takes  constantly  much  interest 
therein.  His  Majesty  wishes  that  your  generous  efforts  may  be  followed  with  full 
success;  and,  as  I  have  already  told  you  in  my  letter  of  the  15th  of  December, 
he  will  not  hesitate  to  acknowledge  your  independence  as  soon  as  France,  who  finds 
herself  more  directly  interested  in  the  issue  of  this  contest,  shall  set  the  example. 
His  Majesty  would  not  make  so  much  difficulty  of  receiving  your  vessels  into  his 
ports  if  it  was  not  that,  being  without  any  fleet  to  revenge  the  affronts  that  might 
be  given  to  your  vessels  in  these  ports,  and  Embden,  fine  and  secure  as  it  may 
otherwise  be,  having  no  fort  to  defend  it,  he  is  unwilling  to  expose  himself  to 
such  an  unpleasing  contingency. 

As  to  the  muskets,  and  other  arms  of  our  manufacture,  you  are  free,  sir,  to 
purchase  or  command  them ;  and  the  bankers,  Spittberger,  who  are  the  under 
takers  of  the  manufacture  of  arms,  have  received  instructions  to  deliver  whatever 
may  be  demanded  by  you.  I  inclose  a  memorandum  of  the  price,  which  is  the 
same  as  the  king  pays ;  and  I  add  that  the  muskets  for  the  infantry  may  be 
delivered  at  a  little  lower  price,  if  you  will  be  satisfied  with  the  soundness  of  the 
work  without  requiring  that  perfect  equality  which  the  king  insists  upon. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  with  the  most  distinguished  consideration,  sir, 

Your  very  humble  servant, 
Signed  THE  BARON  OF  SCHULENBERG. 

To  Mr.  ARTHUR  LEE,  at  Paris. 


No.  X. 
FROM  BARON  SCHULENBERG  TO  MR.  ARTHUR  LEE. 

BERLIN,  June  26,  1777. 

After  having  testified  to  you,  sir,  in  my  letter  of  the  18th  of  this  month,  our 
inclination  to  establish  a  direct  commerce  with  the  colonies  of  North  America, 
provided  we  can  surmount  the  difficulties  which  are  in  the  way  of  it,  it  remains 


188  APPENDIX  OF   DOCUMENTS. 

only  for  me  to  answer  you  concerning  the  free  access  of  your  privateers  into  our 
ports,  which  you  mention  in  your  letter  of  the  20th.  I  can  assure  you,  sir,  that 
the  king  is  thoroughly  disposed  to  give  pleasure  to  your  constituents ;  but,  on 
the  other  hand,  as  you  readily  perceive,  his  Majesty,  in  the  present  circum 
stances,  would  not  wish  to  embroil  himself  with  the  Court  of  London.  Besides, 
our  ports  have  not  hitherto  received  any  but  merchantmen,  and  neither  has  a 
man-of-war  nor  a  privateer  ever  entered  ;  so  that  the  officers  in  our  ports  would 
be  embarrassed  by  their  conduct  on  such  occasions,  the  customs  which  are  ob 
served  in  that  respect  being  absolutely  unknown  to  them.  We  must  therefore 
inform  ourselves  how  the  Courts  of  France  and  of  Spain  conduct ;  we  must  learn 
the  formalities  which  they  observe  towards  your  armed  vessels,  and  how  it  is 
they  give  free  access  to  these,  consistent  with  the  ties  of  friendship  which  they 
preserve  with  Great  Britain.  The  result  of  these  inquiries  will  decide  whether, 
and  on  what  conditions,  the  desired  permission  can  be  granted ;  and  I  shall  do 
myself  the  pleasure,  sir,  to  let  you  know  personally  the  intention  which  his  Ma 
jesty  shall  judge  fit  to  make. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  with  the  most  perfect  consideration,  sir, 

Your  very  humble  and  very  obedient  servant, 
Signed  THE  BARON  DE  SCHULENBERG. 

To  Mr.  ARTHUR  LEE,  at  Berlin. 


No.  XL 
FROM  BARON  SCHULENBERG  TO  MR.  ARTHUR  LEE. 

BERLIN,  August  8. 

I  should  not  have  so  long  omitted  my  answer  to  the  two  letters  which  you  did 
me  the  honor  to  write  to  me  the  15th  of  August  and  21st  of  September,  if  I  had 
been  possessed  of  any  intelligence  favorable  to  your  wishes.  But  the  king,  not 
withstanding  his  good  will  towards  your  nations,  having  not  judged  it  suitable  to 
grant  to  your  privateers  a  free  entrance  into  his  ports,  at  a  time  when  even 
France,  though  beginning  to  reap  considerable  profits  from  the  trade  of  America, 
gave  way  to  the  representations  of  the  British  minister.  ****** 


APPENDIX   OF   DOCUMENTS.  189 


No.  XII.  (A.) 
FROM  ARTHUR  LEE  TO  DR.  FRANKLIN. 

CHAILLOT,  November  16,  1777. 
To  Dr.  FRANKLIN. 

DEAR  SIR — 

I  send  you  the  inclosed  letter  in  answer  to  mine  on  the  proposed  negotiation. 
It  contains  the  conversation  he  heard  in  the  Cabinet.  If  you  think  it  proper,  I 
shall  answer  that  there  is  no  foundation  for  supposing  any  disagreement  between 
you  and  me ;  that  if  they  wait  for  propositions  coming  from  us  they  deceive 
themselves,  as  we  are  not  solicitous  about  treating  with  them — and  that  their 
honor  and  satisfaction  is  their  affair,  not  ours.  It  seems  to  me,  that  treating 
them  cavalierly  is  most  likely  to  do  service  by  making  them  despair  of  their  un 
dertaking.  I  am  satisfied  that  no  principle  but  fear  will  ever  operate  upon  them. 
The  two  first  lines  of  this  conversation,  joined  with  a  variety  of  information  I 
have  received  to  the  same  purpose,  have  given  me  much  uneasiness.  Great  in 
dustry,  I  am  sure,  has  been  used  to  propagate  this  report  during  my  absence  in 
Germany,  and,  it  appears,  with  success.  I  beg  and  hope  for  your  advice  how 
to  discover  the  authors,  and  prevent  the  consequences  both  to  the  public  and 
myself. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  dear  sir, 

ARTHUR  LEE. 

True  copy  (duplicate),  from  the  Letter-Book.     H.  Ford,  Secretary. 


EXTRACTS  FROM  LETTERS  WROTE  BY  THE  HON.  ARTHUR  LEE. 

PARIS,  November  30,  1777. 
To  the  CHAIRMAN  or  THE 

COMMITTEE  or  FOREIGN  CORRESPONDENCE — 

"Yet,  with  these  circumstances  to  oppose  it ;  the  impracticability  of  obtaining 
any  adequate  number  of  troops,  the  lowness  of  their  credit,  the  probability  of  an 
European  war,  the  carrying  on  of  their  .commerce  by  the  ships  of  their  rivals,  to 
every  common  understanding  the  impossibility  of  success,  and,  I  may  add  with 
certainty,  their  own  conviction  of  it,  I  am  clear  in  my  opinion  that  they  will  at 
tempt  another  campaign,  and  that  every  man  and  every  shilling  they  can  procure 
will  be  devoted  to  the  desolation  of  our  country." 

A.  LEE. 


190  APPENDIX  OF   DOCUMENTS. 

PARIS,  November  29,  1777. 
Hon.  R.  H.  LEE,  Esq. — 

"  Much  ill  humor  is  expected  by  this  gentleman  against  the  French  court,  and 
he  has  endeavored  much  to  make  us  and  others  hold  the  same  language.  But 
our  colleague  and  myself  think  very  differently,  and  are  of  opinion  that  this 
court  has  been  compelled  to  every  step  of  severity  by  gross  misconduct  on  our 
part.  The  principal  one  was  Cunningham's  business  at  Dunkirk ;  with  the  par 
ticulars  of  this  business  I  am  to  this  moment  unacquainted.  He  is  unwise 
enough  to  declare  he  did  it  to  excite  war.  Such  an  attempt  without  our  advice 
and  concurrence  on  the  propriety  of  it,  and  the  means,  was  highly  criminal.  He 
is  conscious  of  it ;  and  therefore  seems  as  if  he  was  searching  for  shelter  under  a 
general  discontent  and  disagreement,  than  which,  if  it  operated  upon  our  friends 
here,  nothing  can  be  more  injurious.  For,  though  they  do  not  all  we  wish, 
they  certainly  do  more  than  any  other ;  and,  it  would  be  both  ingratitude  and 
folly  to  repay  it  with  ill-humor  and  ill-will.  They  told  us  fairly  and  fully  from 
the  beginning  the  line  they  meant  to  pursue,  and  entreated  us  repeatedly  not  to 
transgress  it,  and  involve  them.  It  has  been  transgressed  by  this  gentleman's 
advice  and  by  his  agents,  with  strong  circumstances  of  ill-faith,  and  with  the 
ridiculous  idea  of  forcing  them  into  a  war.  The  consequence  of  this  has  fallen 
upon  our  heads,  and  we  have  not  the  least  pretence  for  complaint." 

A.  LEE. 


PARIS,  December  19,  1777. 
Hon.  S.  ADAMS — 

"  The  last  ray  of  British  splendor  seems  now  passing  away,  and  the  American 
sun  emerging  in  full  glory  from  the  clouds  that  obscured  it.  His  Most  Christian 
Majesty  has  assured  us  in  the  most  explicit  terms,  that  he  will  enter  into  a  treaty 
with  us  as  soon  as  the  courier  returns  from  Spain,  and  maintain  our  independence 
by  arms,  if  necessary.  The  only  stipulation  he  requires  is,  that  we  shall  not  re 
nounce  our  independence  when  we  make  peace,  a  condition  to  which,  I  believe, 
we  have  no  insuperable  objection  or  reluctance.  I  have  no  reason  to  doubt  the 
good  faith  of  this  assurance,  and  the  solid  wisdom  of  it  is  manifest.  They  say 
their  object  is  to  attach  us  to  them,  as  long  as  human  ties  can  endure,  and  cer 
tainly  the  principles  on  which  they  mean  to  act  are  wisely  calculated  for  this  pur 
pose.  I  doubt  you  will  not  drop  a  single  tear  upon  the  grave  of  G.  B.  That 
perverse  and  fallen  people  seem  now  sensible  of  the  shame  and  ruin  that  await 
them.  But  I  question  whether  they  have  spirit  to  avenge  themselves  upon  the 
royal  villain  who  is  the  great  author  of  all  their  calamities.  Farewell. 

A.  LEE. 


APPENDIX  OF  DOCUMENTS.  191 

PARIS,  January  5,  1778. 
Hon.  R.  H.  LEE,  Esq. — 

"  Though  nothing  is  yet  concluded,  yet  everything  seems  hasting  to  the  de 
claration  we  wish." 

A.  LEE. 


PARIS,  January  9,  1778. 
Hon.  R.  H.  LEE,  Esq. — 

"I  hoped  by  this  time  to  have  informed  you  that  something  decisive  was  con 
cluded.  We  remain,  however,  in  the  same  state  of  ineptitude.  There  is  nothing 
so  necessary  in  politics  and  negotiations  as  patience." 

A.  LEE. 

True  copies  (duplicates),  from  the  Letter-Book.     H.  Ford,  Secretary. 

February  16,  1779.  I  have  compared  the  extracts  on  this  sheet,  with  a  Letter- 
Book  in  the  handwriting  of  the  Hon.  Arthur  Lee,  and  find  them  true  copies. 
John  Adams. 


No.  XVII.  (DUPLICATE.)  LETTER-BOOK  II.,  page  80. 
A.  LEE  TO  IN  LONDON. 

PARIS,  July  26,  1778. 
DEAR  SIR — 

Your  friend  received  yours  of  the  2d.  The  ring  is  delivered.  Mr.  T.  called 
upon  you  by  my  direction,  but  not  for  money,  of  which  he  had  from  me  what  I 
thought  sufficient,  but  he  has  since  drawn  on  my  banker  for  twenty  guineas.  I 
doubt  very  much  the  truth  of  what  Mr.  W.  tells  you  relative  to  him,  having  evi 
dence  in  my  possession  of  his  being  a  false  accuser.  Nor  is  it  true  that  he  has 
directly  or  indirectly  communicated  to  me  what  he  told  you  he  had  done ;  on  the 
contrary,  he  and  his  brother  have,  by  their  agent  here,  been  insinuating  accu 
sations  secretly  against  me,  which  have  come  to  my  knowledge  without  their 
intending  it.  I  have  had  frequent  information  of  those  very  men  and  their  cor 
respondent  here  having  done  all  in  his  power  to  calumniate  me,  and  I  am  very 
well  persuaded  from  their  own  account  of  the  matter  that  they  have  endeavored 

to  seduce  my  S y.     I  have  a  great  many  other  reasons  for  cautioning  you 

against  any  communications  with  those  men,  either  in  what  concerns  the  public, 

or  me.     At  the  same  time  as  Mr.  T 's  conduct  has  appeared  to  you  suspicious, 

I  shall  be  obliged  to  you  for  any  information  that  may  be  relied  upon  relative  to 
his  proceedings,  which  are  the  more  to  be  watched,  as  he  has  staid  a  long  time 


192  APPENDIX   OF   DOCUMENTS. 

contrary  to  my  orders,  by  alleging  sickness.  In  our  situation  we  are  obliged  to 
employ  persons  of  whom  we  cannot  be  altogether  sure,  and  there  are  but  too  many 
motives  to  tempt  them  to  infidelity.  You  will  be  so  good  as  to  give  me  at  all  times 
intelligence  of  what  reaches  you  relative  to  such  persons,  that  both  the  public 
and  myself  may  suffer  as  little  as  possible  by  their  treachery.  You  will  certainly 
find  in  the  shops  a  print  of  the  old  gentleman,  taken  from  a  portrait  in  my  pos 
session,  and  which  is  the  most  like  him  of  any  I  know ;  as  to  the  other,  there  is 
no  likeness  of  him  to  be  got  in  Europe.  Be  so  good  as  to  convey  the  inclosed 
letters,  two  for  Mr.  Ridley,  and  one  for  Mr.  Downman,  and  write  to  me  as  often 
as  you  can.  Byron's  fleet  was  met  the  9th  July,  lat.  47,  Ion.  31,  33,  standing 
westward,  with  the  wind  S.S.  W.  The  conciliatory  bills  were  received,  but  not 
very  graciously.  Philadelphia  was  evacuated.  No  intelligence  of  the  arrival  of 
the  Commissioners,  14th  June.  Supplies  going  in  fast,  and  every  one  in  high 
spirits.  Adieu." 

Trip.     True  copy  from  the  Hon.  A.  Lee's  Letter-Book.     H.  Ford,  Secretary. 

February  19,  1779.  Copy  from  a  Letter-Book  in  the  handwriting  of  the  Hon. 
Arthur  Lee.  Compared  by  John  Adams. 

The  letter,  of  which  this  is  a  true  copy,  is  addressed  to  a  respectable  gentleman, 
and  who  has  always  been  a  firm  friend  to  America.  Edm.  Jennings.  February 
20,  1779. 


No.  XVIII.     (DUPLICATE.) 

I  received  yours  of  the  7th  and  the  newspapers.  The  information  it  con 
tains  relative  to  intelligence  from  hence,  cannot  be  of  any  material  use  without 
the  original  papers  or  letters  to  prove  it.  ****  of  these,  if  not  all,  you  will 
therefore  endeavor  to  procure.  Learn  how  many  months  provisions  the  fleet  has 
on  board,  the  number  of  men  in  each  ship,  as  near  as  you  can,  and  whether  any 
thing  is  intended  against  the  Spanish  flota.  I  mentioned  to  you  the  charges 
against  you  here  of  stock-jobbing.  You  must  avoid  giving  any  foundation  for 
them.  You  know  the  quarter  from  which  the  accusation  comes.  It  would  be 
doubly  improper  for  any  one  employed  by  me  to  be  doing  that  which  in  itself  is 
wrong,  and  which  I  am  censuring  in  others.  Those  who  accuse  you  I  believe  to 
be  people  capable  of  any  falsehood  to  cover  their  own  proceedings  and  criminate 
others. 

True  copy.     H.  Ford,  Secretary. 

February  19,  1779.  Copy  from  a  Letter-Book  in  the  handwriting  of  the  Hon. 
Arthur  Lee.  Compared  by  John  Adams. 


APPENDIX  OF   DOCUMENTS.  193 

No.  XIX.     (DUPLICATE.) 

PASST,  22d  December,  1777. 
DEAR  NEPHEW — 

You  need  be  under  no  concern  as  to  your  orders  from  Mr.  Deane  ;  as  you  have 
always  acted  uprightly  and  ably  for  the  public  service,  you  would  be  justified  if 
you  had  no  orders  at  all ;  but,  as  he  generally  consulted  me  and  had  my  appro 
bation  in  the  orders  he  gave,  and  I  know  they  were  for  the  best,  and  aimed  at 
the  public  good.  I  hereby  certify  you  that  I  approve  and  join  these  you  have 
received  from  him,  and  desire  you  to  proceed  in  the  execution  of  the  same. 

Signed  B.  FRANKLIN. 

No.  4.     Copy  of  extract. 

February  16,  1778.     Copy  of  a  paper  which  I  take  to  be  in  the  handwriting  of 
Mr.  Williams.     Certified  by  John  Adams. 
JONATHAN  WILLIAMS,  Esq. 


No.  XXII.     (DUPLICATE.) 

PARIS,  ce  Samedi,  8  Aoust,  1778. 

J'ai  beaucoup  re"fl6chi,  Monsieur,  sur  la  conversation  que  nous  eumes  ensem 
bles  hier,  et  voici  les  observations  simples  auxquelles  je  dois  m'arreter.  J'avois 
fait  des  conventions,  il  y  a  environ  18  mois,  avec  Messrs.  Franklin  et  Deane,  qui 
n'avoient  pas  qualite"  ny  autorite"  pour  les  faire.  Et  borne"  de  bonne  foi,  j'ai  paye" 
envers  les  Etats  Unis  de  l'Am£rique  tous  les  services  dont  j'ai  e'te'  capable.  J'ai 
fait,  comme  vous  savez,  un  voyage  en  Hollande  de  4  mois  72  pour  faire  executer 
un  vaisseau  pour  les  Etats  Unis,  sur  lequel  je  devois  me  transporter  en  Ame"rique 
pour  y  allcr  etablir  une  marine  militaire  en  execution  des  engagemens  pris  et 
signe"s  par  Messrs.  Franklin  et  Deane  depuis  mon  re"tour  en  France.  Vous  savez 
combien  on  en  a  mal  agi  avec  moi,  quoique  je  n'aye  jamais  mis  aucun  prix  a  mes 
services. 

II  m'est  afflige"ant  de  savoir  que  1'on  m'avoit  trompe",  puis  qu'on  n'avoit  pas 
quality  suffisante  pour  traiter  avec  moi,  et  que  par  cela,  on  m'exposoit  a  avoir 
1'air  d'un  avanturier  en  arrivant  en  Ame"rique;  j'ai  cela  sur  lecosur,  et  ne  1'oubli- 
erai  de  ma  vie  a  cette  faute  eminemment  grave,  surtout  pour  un  jeune  peuple  qui 
ne  doit  montrer,  et  avoir  que  des  vertues,  on  y  a  ajoute"  le  dernier  trait  de  sce"lera- 
tesse  digne  du  peuple  le  plus  corrompu  en  m'escamotant  1'ecrit  passe"  entre  nous ; 
ce  n'est  pas  que  j'en  fisse,  puis  qu'il  n'avoit  point  de  valeur  faute  de  qualite 
suffisante  pour  contractor ;  mais  la  bonne  foi  auroit  du  revenir  snr  ses  pas  et 
convenir  qu'on  avoit  e"te  trop  loin,  par  le  de"sir  d'utilite  de  son  pays,  tout  devenoit 
alors  nul  et  honnete. 

25 


194  APPENDIX   OF   DOCUMENTS. 

Enfin,  Monsieur,  je  ne  me  refuserois  pas  a  faire  ce  dont  j'ai  eu  la  volonte"  les 
annees  derniers;  mais  je  ne  me  preterois  et  ne  m'engagerois  a  rien  que  par  des 
propositions  du  Congre"s.  Je  n'ai  point  besoin  de  fortune.  J'en  ai  une  double 
de  mes  besoins  ;  j'ai  une  reputation  faite  ici  pour  avoir  e"te"  professeur  en  marine 
a  Versailles ;  un  vieux  peuple  tient  a  ces  anciennes  erreurs,  ce  n'est  que  les 
jeuncs  assez  sages  pour  profiler  des  fautes  par  ou  Ton  a  passe,  qu'ils  peuvent 
retirer  des  fruits  utiles  achete"s  par  des  siecles  et  des  millions.  Le  bien  dans 
votre  patrie  doit  dans  ce  moment  y  etre  facile  a  faire,  car  il  ne  peut  y  avoir  a 
vaincre  que  la  difficult^  des  clioses,  et  point  des  personnes  des  talens  seuls  suffi- 
sent;  pour  cela,  et  tres  volontiers,  je  donnerois  quelque  anne"es  de  ma  vie  pour  la 
gloire  d'un  peuple  que  j'estime,  quoique  je  tienne  beaucoup  a  un  repos  que  j'ai 
achete"  par  32  ans  de  service  dans  la  marine.  A  me"sure  que  le  services  que  je 
peux  rendre  a  1'Amerique  sont  plus  importans,  puis  qu'il  s'agit  de  la  creation 
d'une  marine  militaire,  dont  le  sagesse  des  principes  dans  son  institution  doit  la 
mettre  de  niveaux,  tout  au  moins  avec  la  puissance  qui  en  a  le  plus  sur  les  mers, 
et  avec  surement  une  depense  moindre  de  moitie",  il  est  evident  que  je  ne  saurois 
et  ne  pouvois  faire  le  bien  avec  une  qualite  subalterne. 

Votre  pays  aurait-il  le  courage  de  confier  a  un  e"trangere  1'autorite  suffisante 
d'une  des  plus  grandes  et  importants  partes  de  son  administration  ?  Voila  ce 
dont  je  doute,  malgre  qui  cela  soit  indispensablement  necessaire  pour  maner  tout 
a  son  entiere  execution,  et  qu'il  ne  faille  pas  plus  d'une  stance  au  Congres  as 
semble"  pour  examiner  la  constitution  de  toutes  les  parties  legislative  et  de  comp- 
tabilite"  que  comporte  cet  immense  department  dans  toutes  ces  parties.  J'au- 
jouterois  que  cet  ordre  d'institution  est  tellement  simple,  qu'une  heure  d'examen 
du  Congres  chaque  mois  seroit  suffisant  pour  1'examen  de  toutes  les  parties  sepa- 
re"s,  tant  des  hommes,  des  choses,  que  la  depense  des  unes  et  des  autres.  C'est 
de  cet  ordre  clair  et  simple  qui  doit  resulter  une  permanence  d'economie,  de  force, 
de  sagesse,  et  de  justice.  Voila,  Monsieur,  en  precis,  le  bien  que  je  voulois  faire 
a  votre  pays,  et  que  je  doute  que  je  lui  fasse  jamais. 

Mon  auntie"  pour  vous  me  fit  promettre  hier  de  vous  donner  pour  le  Congres 
trois  tableaux  qui  font  la  substance  du  de*partement  de  la  marine  des  Etats  Unis 
de  1'Amerique,  que  j'ai  compose'es,  il  y  a  environ  deux  ans ;  mais  comme  ces  ne 
sont  que  des  re"sultats,  et  qu'il  est  ndcessaire  d'expliquer  les  diflerents  principes 
auquels  ils  tiennent,  et  que  pour  cela  il  faudroit  y  joindre  ma  collection  entiere 
de  marine,  vous  trouverez,  bon  Monsieur,  que  je  retire  ma  parole.  Cet  envoie 
n'apperoit  pas  le  bien  que  vous  et  moi  desirons;  un  memoire,  ou  un  plan  tres 
compost,  et  toujours  un  mot,  si  son  auteur  n'y  est  pas  pour  1'expliquer. 

Adieu,  Monsieur;  je  vous  embrasse  detout  mon  cceur,  et  suis  avec  un  tres  par- 
fait  attachement  votre  tres  humble  et  obe"issant  serviteur, 

ROUX. 

Vrai  copie  de  1'original.     Ludwell  Lee. 

Copy  from  the  original.     Compared  by  John  Adams. 


APPENDIX   OF   DOCUMENTS.  195 

• 

No    XXXI.     (DUPLICATE.)     LETTER-BOOK  III.,  page  2. 
EXTRACTS  FROM  LETTERS  WROTE  BY  THE  HON.  ARTHUR  LEE,  ESQ. 

(A.) 

PARIS,  January  24,  1778. 
HON.  R.  H.  LEE,  Esq. — 

"Our  ultimate  object  here  is  in  great  forwardness,  and  I  hope  we  shall  soon 
give  you  an  account  of  its  conclusion.  A  war  seems  every  day  more  certain, 
and  I  can  assure  you  that  this  country  is  exceedingly  well  prepared  for  it." 

Letter-Book  III.,  page  22. 

(B.) 

February  5,  1778. 
Hon.  R.  H.  LEE,  Esq. — 

"The  delay  of  our  dispatches  enables  me  to  add  this  to  my  former,  and  to 
assure  you  that  the  business  has  gone  on  with  all  possible  dispatch,  and  that  in 
all  human  probability  my  next  will  inform  you  of  its  happy  conclusion." 

Letter-Book  III.,  page  25. 

(C.) 

PARIS,  February  9,  1778. 
Hon.  F.  L.  LEE,  Esq. — 

"I  congratulate  you  with  all  my  heart  on  the  treaties  which  Congress  will 
receive  by  the  frigate  that  brings  this.  According  to  the  present  appearance  of 
things,  the  event,  which  is  to  bring  the  second  treaty  into  operation,  will  take 
place  before  this  reaches  you." 

Letter-Book  III.,  page  32. 

February  17,  1778. 
Hon.  S.  ADAMS,  Esq. — 

"Let  me  embrace  you,  my  dear  friend,  on  the  accomplishment  of  the  end  of 
all  our  labors  by  the  treaties  which  will  accompany  this,  in  which  the  liberty, 
sovereignty,  and  independence  of  the  United  States  are  secured.  I  thought  it 
absolutely  necessary  that  we  should  urge  the  insertion  of  sovereignty,  that  there 
might  not  hereafter  be  any  question  on  that  head,  as  there  long  was  in  the  case 
of  the  United  Provinces,  and  the  Swiss  Cantons.  You  may  be  assured  that  war 
is  resolved  on  here;  and  from  the  situation  of  things  it  cannot  long  be  avoided." 

Letter-Book  III.,  page  71. 

* 


196  APPENDIX  OF  DOCUMENTS. 

(D.) 

PARIS,  February  28,  1778. 
The  CHAIRMAN  OF  THE 

COMMITTEE  OF  FOREIGN  CORRESPONDENCE — 

"Our  joint  dispatches  will  convey  to  you  the  bills  as  they  are  now  passing  in 
the  Parliament  of  Great  Britain,  for  appointing  Commissioners  to  negotiate  with 
their  deluded  subjects  and  declaring  in  what  manner  they  will  be  graciously  pleased  to 
exercise  in  future  the  right  of  taxing  us.  It  would  not  be  doing  justice  to  their 
bills  to  attempt  any  comment  upon  them.  They  speak  for  themselves,  and 
loudly  too.  But  the  ministry  of  England  give  out  that  they  have  dispatched  half 
a  million  of  guineas  to  pave  the  way  to  a  favorable  reception  of  their  proposi 
tions  ;  and  I  know  from  the  best  authority  here,  that  they  have  assured  Count 
Maurepas  of  their  being  sure  of  a  majority  in  Congress.  By  such  base  arts  do 
they  endeavor  to  cover  their  nakedness,  and  sustain  their  desperate  cause. 
France  has  done  us  substantial  benefits — Great  Britain  substantial  injuries. 
France  offers  to  guarantee  our  sovereignty  and  universal  freedom  of  commerce — 
Great  Britain  condescends  to  accept  of  our  submission,  and  to  monopolize  our 
commerce.  France  demands  of  us  to  be  independent — Great  Britain  tributary. 
I  do  not  comprehend  how  there  can  be  a  mind  so  debased,  or  an  understanding 
so  perverted,  as  to  balance  between  them." 

Letter-Book  III.,  page  80. 

(E.) 

March  1,  1778. 
Hon.  SAMUEL  ADAMS,  Esq. — 

"I  was  in  hopes  to  day's  post  would  have  brought  us  news  from  England,  and 
the  acts  for  negotiating  with  you.  If  we  may  judge  of  them  from  the  bills,  they 
will  be  an  everlasting  proof  of  the  feebleness  and  folly  of  our  enemies.  I  trust 
their  Commissioners  will  return  as  they  came,  unless  they  have  power,  and  do 
acknowledge  clearly  and  fully  the  sovereignty  and  independence  of  America 
as  an  indispensable  preliminary." 

Letter-Book  III.,  page  93. 

(G.) 

PARIS,  March  19,  1778. 
Hon.  HENRY  LAURENS,  Esq.,  President — 

"P.  S.  To-morrow  we  are  to  be  presented  to  the  King  of  France,  and  the 
English  Ambassador  quits  this  court  without  taking  leave.  War  must  imme 
diately  be  the  consequence,  as  these  movements  have  been  determined  on,  from 
the  treaty  of  amity  and  commerce  which  we  have  concluded  with  this  court, 


APPENDIX   OF   DOCUMENTS.  197 

having  been  announced  in  form  to  that  of  London.  The  consequence  of  this,  in 
relieving  our  country  from  the  chief  weight  of  the  war,  cannot  but  follow,  and 
therefore  I  congratulate  you  upon  it  most  sincerely.  In  my  judgment,  a  year  or 
two  must  reduce  Great  Britain  to  any  terms  the  allies  may  think  proper  to 
demand." 

Letter-Book  III.,  page  116. 

PARIS,  April  4,  1778. 
Hon.  HENRY  LAURENS,  Esq.,  President. — 

"I  trust  he  (Mons.  Gerard)  will  conduct  his  negotiation  agreeable  to  what 
appears  to  me  to  be  the  disposition  of  the  court  and  minister  here — fairness  and 
generosity." 

True  copies  from  the  Letter-Book.     H.  Ford,  Secretary. 

No.  1,  page  162. 

PARIS,  December  19,  1777. 
Hon.  E.  H.  LEE,  Esq. — 

"Our  joint  dispatches  will  inform  you  how  near  we  are  to  a  conclusion  of  what 
must  settle  the  question  between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States  forever.  I 
see  no  reason  to  doubt  the  good  faith  of  what  they  promise  here,  and  much  to 
admire  the  substantial  wisdom  of  it." 

Letter-Book  II.,  page  116. 

PARIS,  May  7,  1778. 
His  Excellency  Gov.  HENRY,  Virginia — 

"  The  exhausted  state  of  Great  Britain  has  disenabled  her  to  carry  her  menaces 
into  execution  against  France  for  concluding  a  treaty  with  us.  Before  this 
reaches  you,  a  French  fleet  under  Count  d'Estaing,  their  best  admiral,  will  have 
arrived  to  your  assistance.  The  enemy  therefore  is  likely  to  be  blocked  up  in 
their  turn,  for  the  fleet  they  had  prepared  under  Admiral  Byron  to  reinforce 
Lord  Howe  is  stopped,  and  it  is  generally  thought  will  not  sail.  This  arises  from 
apprehensions  for  their  safety  at  home.  If  they  do  not  support  ther  naval  supe 
riority  with  you,  I  think  we  shall  soon  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  them  driven 
entirely  out  of  America.  A  continuation  of  that  spirit  and  vigor  with  which  your 
affairs  have  hitherto  been  conducted,  must  soon  accomplish  our  utmost  wishes, 
and  secure  us  in  peace,  liberty,  and  safety." 


198  APPENDIX   OF   DOCUMENTS. 

PARIS,  June  15,  1778. 
His  Excellency,  Gov.  HENRY,  Virginia — 

"As  our  enemy  appear  unable  to  enforce  their  navy  employed  against  you, 
and  Count  d'Estaing's  fleet  is  stronger,  it  is  to  be  hoped  your  coast  will  soon  be 
cleared,  by  their  ships  being  entirely  driven  away.  They  are  equally  unable  to 
avenge  themselves  upon  our  ally  here,  and  will  probably  soon  be  forced  to  call 
home  all  their  forces  for  their  defence.  The  diminution  of  their  commerce,  the 
distress  of  their  people,  the  imbecility  and  wickedness  of  their  consuls,  and  the 
rapacity  of  their  officers,  announce  the  inevitable  downfall  of  their  domination, 
and  the  ruin  of  their  affairs." 

Letter-Book  II.,  page  126. 

True  copies  from  the  Letter-Books.     II.  Ford,  Secretary. 

No.  1,  page  81. 

COPY  OF  A  LETTER  FROM  THE  HON.  ARTHUR  LEE,  ESQ.,  TO  THE 
HON.  RICHARD  HENRY  LEE,  DATED  PARIS,  OCTOBER  4,  1777. 

I  inclose  you  a  copy  of  a  late  measure  of  the  court  here,  which  with  others 
seems  unfavorable  to  us.  The  reasons  they  give  for  them  are  the  proceedings 
with  respect  to  the  arming  Cunningham  in  their  ports,  and  sending  him  to  cruise 
directly  in  the  channel,  contrary  to  their  treaty,  and  to  their  repeated  requests  and 
our  promises.  That  fact  is  so,  and  it  was  done  by  Mr.  Deane  without  consulting 
or  informing  us.  He  has,  therefore,  thought  it  necessary  to  write  an  apology  for  it 
to  Mr.  Morris,  which  I  understand  is  to  be  shown  about  privately,  and  he  seems 
desirous  of  persuading  us  and  others  to  be  in  ill  humor  with  the  court  for  taking 
violent  measures,  to  which  they  have  been  compelled  by  his  unwarrantable  con 
duct.  All  I  can  say  is,  that  it  will  be  doing  them  great  injustice  to  form  an 
opinion  of  their  disposition  from  steps  which  they  assure  us  were  taken  from 
necessity,  and  which  we  are  conscious  those  proceedings  forced  on  them. 

These  three  leaves  contain  extracts  from  Letter-Books  of  the  Hon.  A.  Lee. 
Compared  by  John  Adams. 

EXTRACT  OF  A  LETTER  FROM  THE  HON.  A.  LEE,  ESQ.,  TO  THE 
HON.  RICHARD  HENRY  LEE,  DATED  NOVEMBER  29,  1777. 

Much  ill  humor  is  expressed  by  this  gentleman  against  the  French  Court,  and 
he  has  endeavored  much  to  make  us  and  others  hold  the  same  language.  But  our 
colleague  and  myself  think  very  differently,  and  are  of  opinion  that  this  court 
has  been  compelled  to  every  step  of  severity  by  gross  misconduct  on  our  part. 
The  principal  one  was  Cunningham's  business  at  Dunkirk ;  with  the  particulars 
of  this  business  I  am  at  this  moment  unacquainted.  He  is  unwise  enough  to 


APPENDIX   OF   DOCUMENTS.  199 

declare  he  did  it  to  excite  a  war.  Such  an  attempt  without  our  advice  or  con 
currence  in  the  propriety  of  it,  and  the  means,  was  highly  criminal.  He  is  con 
scious  of  it,  and  therefore  seems  as  if  he  was  searching  for  shelter  under  a  gene 
ral  discontent  and  disagreement,  than  which  if  it  operated  upon  our  friends  here 
nothing  can  be  more  injurious.  For  though  they  do  not  do  all  we  wish,  they 
certainly  do  more  than  any  other,  and  it  would  be  both  ingratitude  and  folly  to 
repay  them  with  ill  humor  and  ill  will.  They  told  us  fairly  and  fully  from  the 
beginning  the  line  they  meant  to  pursue,  and  entreated  us  repeatedly  not  to 
transgress  it  and  involve  them.  It  has  been  transgressed  under  this  gentleman's 
advice  and  by  his  agents,  with  strong  circumstances  of  ill  faith,  and  with  the 
ridiculous  idea  of  forcing  them  into  a  war.  The  consequences  of  this  have  fallen 
upon  our  heads,  and  we  have  not  the  least  pretence  for  complaint. 

Extract.     Compared  by  John  Adams. 


No.  XXXII. 

EXTRACT  OF  A  LETTER  FROM  THE  HON.  A.  LEE,  ESQ.,  TO  THE 
COMMITTEE  OF  SECRET  CORRESPONDENCE,  APRIL  4,  1778. 

"I   also  send  an  accurate  list  of  the   actual  and  intended  force  of  Great 
Britain." 

True  copy  from  the  Letter-Book.     H.  Ford,  Secretary. 


No.  XXXIII. 

To  whom  these  presents  may  concern: — 

I,  John  Bonfield,  at  Bordeaux,  in  France,  Merchant,  do  hereby  certify  that  the 
Hon.  Wm.  Lee,  Esq.,  did  not  propose  or  demand  to  receive  for  himself,  either 
directly  or  indirectly,  any  part  of  the  commissions  that  I  might  charge  or  receive 
in  consequence  of  his  appointment  of  me  to  be  Commercial  Agent  for  the  Secret 
Committee  of  Congress ;  and  I  further  certify  that  the  said  William  Lee  never 
did,  either  at  the  time  of  his  making  such  appointment,  or  at  any  time  before  or 
since,  make  or  even  hint  at  receiving  any  part  of  such  commissions  as  aforesaid ; 
and  I  further  certify  that  the  said  William,  nor  any  person  for  him,  has  ever  re 
ceived  from  me  any  reward,  gratuity,  or  commission  whatsoever,  in  consequence 


200  APPENDIX   OF   DOCUMENTS. 

of  his  appointing  me  commercial  agent  as  aforesaid.  In  testimony  whereof,  I 
have  hereunto  set  my  hand  and  seal,  at  Bordeaux  aforesaid,  this  19th  of  Feb 
ruary,  1779. 

Signed  JOHN  BONFIELD. 


Copy  from  the  original.     Compared  by  John  Adams. 

I,  John  Schweighauser,  Merchant,  of  this  city  of  Nantes,  in  France,  do  hereby 
certify  to  all  whom  it  may  concern,  that  when  the  Hon.  William  Lee,  Esq.,  ap 
pointed  me  Commercial  Agent  for  the  Secret  Committee  of  Congress,  he  did  not 
then,  nor  at  any  time  before  or  afterwards,  propose,  stipulate,  or  demand  to  re 
ceive  for  himself,  directly  or  indirectly,  any  part  or  share  of  such  commissions  as 
I  might  charge  or  receive  for  doing  the  business  of  said  committee ;  and  I  do 
further  certify  that  neither  the  said  William  Lee,  nor  any  person  for  him,  has 
heretofore  received  or  is  to  receive  from  me  or  on  my  account,  any  reward,  gra 
tuity,  or  commission  whatsoever  in  consequence  of  his  having  appointed  me  com 
mercial  agent  as  aforesaid.  In  testimony  whereof,  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand 
and  seal  at  Nantes,  in  France,  this  day  of  18th  February,  1779. 

Signed  J.  D.  SCHWEIGHAUSER. 

Witnessed. 

J.  A.  CALLARD. 
J.  J.  SCHORNDORFF. 

True  copy  compared  with  the  original.     H.  Ford,  Secretary. 


No.  XXXIV. 

PARIS,  July  4,  1777. 
Captain  WEEKES,  SIR — 

We  have  appointed  Mr.  Williams  to  take  the  direction  of  such  affairs  at  Nantes 
as  are  more  particularly  within  our  department,  and  accordingly  advise  you  to 
address  yourself  to  him  for  any  assistance  you  stand  in  want  of  in  the  disposi 
tion  of  your  prizes  or  your  other  concerns ;  you  will  give  directions  to  Captains 
Johnson  and  Nicholson,  which  renders  it  unnecessary  for  us  to  write  to  each  one 
separately. 

We  are  yours,  &c.  &c., 

Signed  B.  FRANKLIN. 

SILAS  DEANE. 

True  copy  from  a  letter  in  the  handwriting  of  Mr.  Jonathan  Williams.  H. 
Ford,  Secretary. 

LAMBERT  WICKES,  Esq. 


APPENDIX  OF  DOCUMENTS.  201 

(DUPLICATE.) 

PARIS,  July  4,  1777. 
Mr.  JONATHAN  WILLIAMS, 
DEAR  SIR — 

Yours  of  the  30th  ult.  and  1st  inst.  are  before  us.  Mr.  Morris,  were  he  pre 
sent,  has  not  the  least  right  to  any  direction  of  Captain  Weekes  or  his  prizes,  and 
less  so  to  Johnson  or  Nicholson;  they  are  Continental  property,  and  are  immediately 
under  our  direction,  by  the  express  orders  of  Congress  and  under  no  other  persons. 

Inclosed  you  have  a  letter  to  Captain  Weekes,  and  to  Captains  Johnson  and 
Nicholson  on  this  subject.  Mr.  Lee's  arrival  would  make  no  odds  in  this  business, 
as  it  is  distinct  from  anything  contained  in  either  of  their  appointments,  and  your 
appointment  from  us  is  the  only  one  at  present  that  can  be  of  any  force ;  we 
therefore  direct  you  not  to  give  way  to  any  pretensions  of  any  one,  but  consult 
ing  with  Mr.  Ross  and  Captain  Weekes,  proceed  to  dispose  of  the  prizes,  and  to 
settle  their  affairs  in  the  best  and  most  expeditious  manner  possible.  Mr.  Deane 
has  wrote  to  Captain  Weekes  to  address  to  the  house  you  mention. 

Signed  SILAS  DEANE. 

True  copy  from  the  extract  in  the  handwriting  of  Mr.  Jonathan  Williams, 
H.  Ford,  Secretary. 


CONSTITUTION 


SEVENTY-SIX   SOCIETY. 


ARTICLE  I. 

THIS  Society  shall  be  called  "The  Seventy-Six  Society,"  and  its 
object  shall  be  the  publication  and  republication  of  books  and  papers 
relating  to  the  American  Revolution. 

ARTICLE  II. 

The  officers  of  the  Society  shall  be  a  President,  a  Secretary,  a 
Treasurer,  and  a  Council.  The  Council  shall  consist  of  the  above- 
named  officers,  and  of  ten  other  members. 

ARTICLE  III. 

It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  President  to  preside  at  the  meetings  of 
the  Society  and  the  Council. 

ARTICLE  IY. 

It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Secretary  to  keep  minutes  of  the  meet 
ings  of  the  Society  and  of  the  Council,  and  to  conduct  their  corre 
spondence.  The  minutes  of  this  Council  shall  be  at  all  times  open  to 

the  inspection  of  the  members  of  the  Society. 

/t 

ARTICLE  Y. 

It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Treasurer  to  collect  the  subscriptions  of 
the  members.  He  shall  pay  no  money  of  the  Society  without  the 


written  order  of  the  Council,  signed  by  the  President  and  attested  by 
the  Secretary.  He  shall  present  a  report  of  the  receipts  and  pay 
ments  of  the  preceding  year,  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Society. 

ARTICLE  VI. 

The  Council  shall  have  the  management  of  the  business  of  the 
Society ;  they  shall  decide  what  publications  shall  be  made,  and  pro 
vide  for  their  distribution  among  the  members.  They  may  enact  such 
by-laws  for  their  own  government,  and  appoint  such  committees  as 
they  may  think  necessary.  They  shall  make  a  report  of  their  transac 
tions  for  the  preceding  year,  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Society. 

ARTICLE  VII. 

The  Society  shall  meet  annually  on  the  fifth  day  of  September  (the 
anniversary  of  the  meeting  of  the  first  Congress),  or  on  the  following 
day  when  the  fifth  of  September  falls  on  Sunday.  At  this  meeting 
the  election  of  officers  for  the  ensuing  year  shall  be  held.  Special 
meetings  of  the  Society  may  be  held  upon  the  written  request  of  not 
less  than  twenty  members,  addressed  to  the  President,  and  specifying 
the  object  of  the  meeting.  No  other  business  than  that  specified  shall 
be  transacted  at  such  special  meeting. 

ARTICLE  VIII. 

The  Council  shall  meet  on  the  third  day  after  their  election  (on  the 
fourth,  when  such  third  day  falls  on  Sunday),  and  at  such  other  times 
and  at  such  place  as  they  may  from  time  to  time  appoint. 

ARTICLE  IX. 

The  annual  subscription  shall  be  Five  Dollars,  payable  on  or  before 
the  first  day  of  January.  No  member  shall  be  entitled  to  receive  any 
of  the  publications  of  the  Society,  during  any  year  for  -which  his  sub 
scription  is  in  arrears. 

ARTICLE  X. 

The  publications  of  the  Society  shall  not  be  sold  upon  any  pretence 
whatever;  they  shall  be  distributed  among  the  members  equally;  and 


persons  joining  the  Society  after  the  first  year,  shall  pay  the  subscrip 
tion  of  any  previous  year,  to  entitle  them  to  the  publications  issued 
during  that  year. 

ARTICLE  XI. 

The  members  of  this  Society  shall  consist  of  such  persons  as  shall 
sign  this  Constitution,  or  shall,  if  not  residents  of  Philadelphia,  ex 
press  in  writing  their  desire  of  joining  it.  Resignations  shall  be 
presented  at  the  annual  meeting. 

ARTICLE  XII. 

This  Constitution  shall  be  altered  only  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the 
Society,  and  only  by  a  vote  of  four-fifths  of  the  members  present. 


OFFICERS 

OF  THE 

SEVENTY-SIX   SOCIETY 

ELECTED  SEPTEMBER  5,  1854. 


PRESIDENT. 
HENRY  J.  WILLIAMS. 

SECRETARY. 
HENRY  PENINGTON. 

TREASURER. 

WILLIAM  DUANE. 

COUNCIL. 

*EDWARD  D.  INGRAHAM,  TOWNSEND  WARD, 

LEONARD  R.  KOECKER,  M.  D.,  AUBREY  H.  SMITH, 

JOHN  JORDAN,  JR., 
EDWARD  ARMSTRONG, 
THOMAS  BALCH, 

*  Deceased. 


JOSEPH  R.  PAXSON, 
FERDINAND  J.  DREER, 
CHARLES  F.  BECK,  M.  D. 


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